SEN. Raffy Tulfo yesterday expressed hope that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will announce his government’s position on the issue of online gambling when he delivers his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28.
In a press conference, Tulfo said he can only “wish” that the President would repeat what he did last year when he ordered during his third SONA a total ban on the operation of all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) by the end of 2024.
“Pangarap ko sana sa SONA, baka puwedeng isali, sabi ko nga baka naman Mr. President puwede mong isama sa SONA yung tungkol dito sa problema natin sa online gambling. I don’t know, but again, hindi ko dinidiktahan, hindi ko sinasabihan ang ating Pangulo because desisyon niya yan. Ayokong pakialaman yung lahat ng kanyang ginagawa (I am wishing that in the SONA, maybe the President can discuss the issue on online gambling. I don’t want to dictate on him, I am not telling him what to do because that will be his decision. I don’t want to interfere on the things that he will do),” Tulfo said.
He said that while Congress has yet to come up with a law banning online gambling, the President can issue an executive order to that effect.
“I can only wish that one day or maybe in the next few days, the issues [on online gambling] will reach our President and it’s up to the President. Whatever decision he may have, I will respect it, but for me, my stand, is I am hoping for a total ban, maybe this can be stopped),” he also said in Filipino.
Tulfo appealed to the President’s advisers not to give him wrong data or information in relation to the issue so he can see the real picture of what’s happening to Filipinos because of addiction to online gambling.
In the Senate, he said he will push for the approval of a measure proposing a total ban on gambling via the internet.
“I will file a bill to totally stop it. This is too much already. When will we stop? When the country is already down?” he said.
Tulfo said regulating the online gaming industry will not be enough since everyone, including the youth and the vulnerable, can easily access it anywhere and anytime with the use of electronic gadgets.
He said his proposed bill will also include banning online gaming which have already been approved by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.
“As long as it is online gambling, they should be totally banned. Now, if you want to bet or gamble, you go to a venue. There should be a venue that people can go unlike now that anybody can play anywhere),” he said.
While a law has yet to be passed, Tulfo urged Pagcor to immediately take down or stop the advertisement of online gambling on newspapers, radio, TV, and social media sites.
Pagcor ha earlier said that the advertisements will stop on August 15.
Tulfo said that reports saying that some lawmakers are behind the operations or giving protection to some online gambling sites should also be investigated.
“Appropriate charges should be filed against them before the Ombudsman. Find out who they are. Even if it is legal, lawmakers should serve the people and not those who destroy the lives of the people because many have already been addicted to the vice,” he added.
Tulfo said the expected foregone government revenues of around P140 billion a year from online gambling cannot outweigh the social costs of allowing it to continue.
On the other hand, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian filed a resolution seeking an investigation into the engagement of “learners” in online gambling in a bid to come up with measures on how to stop it.
“There have been reports that learners are being exposed to and are actively participating in online gambling platforms such as Bingo Plus, OKBet, Piso Game, InstaWin,Inplay, EGames, Perya Games, Bet 88, and King Casino… The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation data shows that there are 64 accredited gaming system administrators and registered domain names or uniform resource locators. Additionally, there are 12 approved online gaming platforms for licensed casinos,” Gatchalian said in the still unnumbered resolution.
He said data from the Department of Education showed that there are eight reported gambling incidents involving learners since school year 2020-2021 to the present, “confirming that learners are actively engaging in gambling activities.”
He said online gaming sites are easily accessible unlike the traditional gambling platforms which make them more addictive.
He added that more Filipinos are enticed to engage in online gambling due to endorsements of celebrities and numerous billboards put up in identified areas in the country.
He said e-wallet companies have also added up to the concerns on online gambling since they “have inadvertently become enablers of online gambling among learners, allowing easy cash-ins without strict identification requirements.”
Despite the existence of PD 1869, as amended, which created Pagcor to strictly manage, regulate supervise, and control games of chances, there is no provision that imposes penalties on establishments for violations involving the engagement of persons under 21, “rendering enforcement weak and dependent on casino compliance alone.”
While illegal gambling is penalized under PD 1602, Gatchalian said minors are considered as “children in conflict with the law” and subjected to “restorative justice measures” rather than impose punitive sanctions under RA 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006.
“While learners are explicitly prohibited under the law from playing games of chance, there is currently no comprehensive national policy or education-based intervention that directly addresses and regulates the spread of gambling, both offline and online, within schools or among learners,” he added.
Meanwhile, Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David yesterday slammed the Philippine government for allowing online gambling to proliferate in the country.
David, in his homily at the Kalookan Cathedral, said: “What is truly painful is when it’s government agencies themselves — like Pagcor — that lead the way in making this kind of victimization possible by legalizing online gambling.”
“We fail to see the real culprit: a government that grants licenses and expands online gambling platforms,” he added.
What is worse, he said, is that the government is doing it to advance its political interests.
“(They do it) just to earn revenue for public spending — spending that often becomes a tool for political power,” said David.
On the other hand, the Cardinal said ordinary Filipinos are further engulfed in the gambling culture as they have been ensured 24/7 access to casinos.
“Now, the casino is in everyone’s pocket. Even mothers desperate for extra income get drawn in. They start with a few pesos, then risk hundreds or thousands,” he said.
In astatement following the 130th CBCP Plenary Assembly, Filipino bishops denounced the “plague” that is caused by the spread of online gambling in the country.
The CBCP labeled online gambling as a “deep and pervasive moral problem, in the guise of entertainment and technology.”
They called on the government to declare any type of online gambling as illegal.
The CBCP also called on the government to make protecting the welfare of the majority a real priority, instead of pushing gambling just for the sake of profit. – With Gerard Naval
