Speaker: House to prioritize bill banning POGOs

Speaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday said that the House of Representatives will craft and prioritize a bill banning Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

Romualdez said this is in compliance with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.’s pronouncement during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“Immediately after the SONA of President Marcos, Jr., I met with House leaders and top Secretariat officials last night in my office. I asked them to come up with a proposed legislative measure that will put to a halt all POGO operations in the country effective December 2024 as ordered by the President,” Romualdez said in a statement.

There are several House bills and resolutions now pending before the House Committee on Games and Amusement seeking to ban POGO such as House Bill 5082 filed by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, Jr.; House Bill 10525 filed by ACT Teachers party-list lawmaker France Castro, Gabriela party-list legislator Arlene Brosas, and Kabataan party-list lawmaker Raoul Danniel Manuel, among others.

“I am requesting all the Committee chairs concerned to give this a priority. For the House Committee on Public Order and Security to submit their comprehensive report and recommendations to the Committee on Games and Amusement as soon as possible. And for the House Commitee on Games and Amusement to come up with a committee report for immediate plenary deliberation,” Romualdez said.

“We have to ensure that the POGO operators will not just resort to guerrilla operators or go under cover. The law must be crafted with iron-clad provisions to prevent a resurrection of these criminal and illegal activities,” Romualdez added.

Manuel earlier said that a law should be passed to ensure that the President’s pronouncement on POGO ban will be efficiently implemented.

Former President and Pampanga lawmaker Gloria Arroyo also said that there is nothing to gain from POGO business since it is being used as a front for illegal activities such as prostitution, human trafficking, online scam, among others. 

“Gusto naming maging legacy ito ng Pangulong Marcos, Jr. Sisiguruhin natin na hindi na makakakilos ang mga sindikatong kriminal sa pamamagitan ng POGO at mapapapnagot natin sa batas,” Romualdez said.

(We want the POGO ban to be the legacy of the President. We will ensure that these syndicates won’t thrive and will be held accountable.)

The Speaker, however, said that the President’s pronouncements will not stand in the way of the ongoing House probe on crimes linked to the POGOs such as kidnapping, human trafficking, online scams, among others.

“This [new policy on banning POGO] will not stop ongoing House investigation on the criminal and other illegal activities linked to POGO. Hopefully, the House can learn from the hearings— on their modus operandi and the brains behind these activities— for the proposed measure that we will be crafting.” —VAL, GMA Integrated News