SENATOR Risa Hontiveros is calling for the implementation of a moratorium against all online gambling activities that can be taken advantage of by individuals formerly involved in Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) in order to continue their business.

In a forum, Hontiveros said that suspending all online gambling activities would address the “loophole” in President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order 74, which bans all Pogos across the country “excluding online games of chance conducted in Pagcor (Philippine Gaming Corporation)-operated casinos, licensed casinos, and junket agreements.”

“Pinoint-out ko na ito kay [Executive Secretary Lucas] Bersamin. Meron silang ilang kinorect sa EO pero ito ay hindi pa talaga. At dapat maipasok ito sa ipapasa naming Anti-Pogo law. Dahil otherwise, maghahanap at makakahanap ng masusuotan, even in the law, yang mga Pogo na iyan sa pamamagitan pa ng Pagcor,” Hontiveros said.

(I pointed this out to Bersamin. They made some corrections to the EO, but this has not been addressed yet. And it should be included in the Anti-Pogo law we will pass. Otherwise, those Pogos will still find a way around it, even within the law, through Pagcor.)

“So ano to, a, wake-up call ito, serving of notice ito sa Pagcor na huwag nilang papayagan itong mga reinvented Pogos makahanap ng espasyo sa mga casino at mga casinos na may junket agreements na nasa ilalim ng jurisdiction ng Pagcor,” she added.

(So this is a wake-up call, a serving of notice to Pagcor, telling them not to allow these reinvented Pogos to find space in casinos and casinos with junket agreements under Pagcor’s jurisdiction.)

Following the ban, law enforcement agencies are now on the run against guerilla-like Pogo operations, where they operate in smaller groups and in places like hotels or resorts, to avoid being detected.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) also earlier said it is closely monitoring criminal activities that emerged following the Pogo ban, such as kidnappings, illegal detention, financial fraud and human trafficking.

A 14-year-old son of a former Pogo executive was abducted last week. The suspects cut off a part of the victim’s pinky finger before he was abandoned in Pasay City on February 25.

Hontiveros said the ongoing law enforcement operations against Pogo-like operations and the individuals involved are “obviously not enough.”

“Yung mga Pogo bosses na yan malamang nandito pa rin. Hindi pa lumalabas. Kasi ino-oversee pa nila yung pag-morph ng kanilang Pogo operations sa mas maliliit, guerrilla-like operations. May mga bago pa silang modus. Mga travel ads. Kunong travel ads sa simula. Pero sa mag-signify ng interest, parang pa sa sign-in nila at i-recruit nila sa mga scam operations na pala,” Hontiveros said.

(Those Pogo bosses are probably still here. They haven’t left yet. Because they are still overseeing the transformation of their Pogo operations into smaller, guerrilla-like operations. They have new methods now. Like travel ads. At first, they look like legitimate travel ads. But once people show interest, it’s actually a sign-in for them to recruit people into scam operations.)

“At kung ‘yung kidnapping as a whole ay may resurgence dahil sa Pogo, so ayan, nakikita na naman natin kung paano ang Pogo ay naging pugad talaga ng iba’t ibang mga krimen laban sa ating mga Pilipino at laban pa sa mga dayuhan dito sa Pilipinas. So, napakalaking public safety issue talaga,” she added.

(And if kidnapping as a whole is experiencing a resurgence because of Pogo, then there it is, we are seeing once again how Pogo has really become a breeding ground for various crimes against Filipinos and even foreigners here in the Philippines. So, it’s really a huge public safety issue.)

Hontiveros, chair of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality, led the investigation into the criminal activities being committed under the guise of Pogo.

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) earlier said they have identified around 11,000 foreign Pogo workers who are due for deportation following the Pogo ban.

It said while Metro Manila remains the primary hotspot for illegal Pogo-like operations, they are not discounting the possibility that those involved in operating such activity have moved out to provinces.

Over the past few weeks, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) raided alleged illegal Pogo hubs and apprehended nearly a thousand foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, in Parañaque, Cavite, and Pasay City.

The latest operation was held Wednesday, February 26 in a 10-story building on Macapagal Boulevard, Pasay City, where 401 foreign workers were accosted.

The BI said 98 Chinese nationals have already been deported since January 1. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)