INTERIOR Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla yesterday shut down the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) hub operating on Island Cove in Kawit, Cavite.
“As we promised in December, we are going to come here to make sure it’s closed,” Remulla told reporters during the ceremonial closing of the establishment, which he said already stopped operating early last month.
“As of last month, the buildings’ electricity was already cut off. As you can see, there is no longer sign of habitation here and there is no sign of business,” he said.
“As per the LGU (local government unit) administrator, they inspected this last week of November and there is longer any (POGO) operation here,” he added.
Island Cove was previously owned by the Remulla family.
President Marcos Jr. ordered the ban on POGOs in July during his State of the Nation Address. He gave offshore gaming companies until the end of the year to wind down their operations.
“We’re following the directive of the President to shut down all POGOs,” said Remulla, who was accompanied by PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chairman Alejandro Tengco in padlocking the POGO hub.
Remulla said 15,000 Filipinos and 15,000 Chinese workers were displaced by the closure of the Island Cove POGO facility.
He said the Department of Labor and Employment has launched a program to provide jobs to the Filipinos.
As to the Chinese workers, Remulla said: “Their visas were already downgraded to tourists, so they cannot work here. Almost all of them are no longer here (in the Philippines).”
Tengco said the POGO hub at is the last known legitimate offshore gambling hub in the country.
“Actually, this is the last remaining POGO or offshore gaming hub in the country. We closed it this morning so there is no longer any (POGO) hub operating in the entire country,” said Tengco.
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Malacañang is doing all it can and looking at ways to hasten the forfeiture of buildings, facilities and other assets previously used in POGO operations.
In an ambush interview, Bersamin said he had seen reports that the Senate is also looking into it and will come up with measures to forfeit the facilities and assets in favor of the government.
He said, though, that there are already existing laws for such purpose, adding that President Marcos Jr. does not even need to issue any order to seize the POGO assets since “they will (already) be forfeited if they were involved in a crime.”
“We are already doing everything to hasten the process. Except that we have to give due process to whoever claims to be the owner of these assets. You cannot just grab them. But we have already in place, existing rules and regulations about forfeiture,” he also said in mixed English and Filipino.
Bersamin said the forfeiture of the properties can only happen once the process is completed.
Asked what will happen to the seized buildings, he said they will become assets of the government and will be disposed as seen fit by authorities.
“(It will be used for) any kind of purpose that is legit to the government and to the use of the property,” he said. – With Jocelyn Montemayor
