Sen. Francis Escudero yesterday said opposed the proposed shut down of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) industry, saying it is not the only industry which has industry-related criminal activities.
Escudero said he did not the report of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means which recommended the gradual phase out, and eventual termination, of POGOs all over the country.
He described the committee recommendation as “ka-plastikan,” or not being true or a pretense, for singling out the POGO industry.
He said before the POGO industry hogged the headlines, crimes like prostitution, kidnapping, murder, trafficking, physical injuries, serious illegal detention, and illegal drug activities, among others have already been reported in relation to the operation of local casinos, but no investigation was made by any lawmaker into the incidents.
He said if the Senate committee recommends the closure of POGOs due to crimes related to it, then other gaming industries in the countries with similar occurrence of crimes should also suffer the same fate.
“Hindi ako pumirma dahil ka-plastikan ang tingin ko at tila pinuntiriya lamang ang POGO. Bakit three years ago, bago sumikat ang POGO, meron prostitution, patayan, kidnapping at meron din droga sa mga casino sa bansa na ang naglalaro ay mga Pilipino. Bakit tahimik lahat ng kontra sa POGO ngayon? Wala akong narinig na imbestigasyon sa mga casino. Kung gagawin ito sa POGO ay gawin natin ito sa lahat ng uri ng sugal (I did not sign the [committee report] because I think it’s not being true as it singled out POGOs. Three years ago, before POGOs became popular in the country, prostitution, murder, kidnappings, illegal drug activities were also present in casinos in the country which our countrymen patronize. Why were the anti-POGOs silent then? I did not hear a lawmaker calling for an investigation. If we will do it [closure] in POGOs, we might as well do it for all forms of gambling [in the country]),” Escudero told radio dzBB.
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means led by Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian last week filed Committee Report No. 136 which urged the Senate as a whole to adopt a resolution and call on the Executive to stop POGO operations.
The committee said the social costs of POGO operations in the country outweigh the economic benefits derived by the government due to crimes related to the industry.
Ten of the 18 committee members signed the committee report which means that it can now be discussed in the plenary.
Among the panel members who signed the report were Gatchalian, and Senators Pia Cayetano, Joseph Victior Ejercito, Grace Poe, Raffy Tulfo, Risa Hontiveros, Ronald dela Rosa, and ex-officio members Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, Senate majority leader Joel Villanueva, and Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III.
Escudero said the committee report is only “recommendatory” and it is only the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, which is under the Executive branch, which can revoke POGO licenses.
“Yung committee report ni Sen. Gatchalian ay rekomendasyon lamang, hindi ito bill, hindi ito resolution. Ito’y kahilingan at panawagan lamang sa Pangulo na siyempre nasa ilalim niya ang PAGCOR na ipagbawal na ang POGO na tila yata hindi gustong gawin ng PAGCOR dahil sa laki ng mawawala sa kanila at malaki rin ang mawawala sa President’s Social Funds. Bahala ang Pangulo, puwede niyang pakinggan o hindi pakinggan, puwede niyang sundin o hindi sundin or puwede niyang i-take note lang at tugunan ‘yung mga problemang tinuro doon nang hindi pinapasara ang lahat ng POGOs (Sen. Gatchalian’s committee report is only a recommendation, it is not a bill, it is not a resolution. It only requests or calls on the President, who has control over PAGCOR, to ban POGOs but PAGCOR does not seem to agree with this because of the huge losses it will incur and the huge losses to the President’s Social Fund. It is up to the President to heed the call or not, or just take into account and find solutions to the problems mentioned while not closing down the entire POGO industry),” he added.
