Enrile says POGO is money laundering op, supports ban

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile on Wednesday backed the decision of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. to ban Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) in the country.

"If I were the President, I agree with what he said, I will kick out POGO in this country," Enrile said at the sidelines of the House hearing on POGO operations.

"POGO is a money laundering operation," Enrile added.

Enrile, however, did not directly respond to the query if Marcos consulted him with regards to the decision to ban POGOs, which the President announced during his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA).

A veteran politician who served under multiple administrations, Enrile said he never thought of POGOs when he pushed for the creation of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone.

"I do not know anything about POGO. That was never in my mind when I crafted Republic Act 7922. In fact, when I revised the PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) charter, POGO was never in my mind or in the mind of any legislator," he said.

Enrile says he agrees with PBBM in banning POGOs, which he says is a money laundering operation. @gmanews @gmanewsbreaking pic.twitter.com/KGuU7ksVDD

— Tina PanganibanPerez (@tinapperez) July 31, 2024

'Ill-advised'

Asked for his thoughts regarding former President Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order 13, which was for the regulation and licensing of gambling and online gaming facilities in the country, Enrile said it was "ill-advised."

"They did not study it well. My God! POGO was banned by Cambodia, banned by many countries in Central Asia, and we adopted it here. And why is it that until now, you have POGOs in Bamban (Tarlac) and Porac (Pampanga) and without being able to control them? Is that a wise decision, wise activity?" he said.

During the hearing, Enrile's daughter and Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) administrator Katrina Ponce Enrile said CEZA has no POGO licensees and is not involved in POGO-related crimes.

She also lamented that CEZA has been losing clients since POGO operations were allowed in the Philippines under Duterte's Executive Order 13, which was issued in 2017.

"There are no POGOs in CEZA. There never was and there never will be," said the CEZA official. —KBK, GMA Integrated News