PH to seek global cooperation in drive vs illegal POGOs

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THE Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday vowed to further intensify the government’s campaign against crimes related to the operation of illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) by forging greater international cooperation with other countries.

DOJ assistant secretary and spokesperson Jose Dominic Clavano pointed out that crimes associated with the operation of illegal online gambling firms have international attributes.

“Itong POGO-related crimes ay napakalawak at may international aspect din. May kasamang human trafficking, sex trafficking at may sa iligal na droga pa, kaya ang pinaka-importanting approach dito ay international cooperation (These POGO-related crimes are complex and have an international aspect. It also includes human trafficking, sex trafficking and illegal drugs, so the most important approach here is greater international cooperation),” Clavano said.

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“Pag dito lang, hindi natin ito maso-solusyunan (If we limit the campaign locally, we cannot solve this) since some aspects of it are in other countries,” he also said.

Clavano said greater coordination and cooperation with countries also experiencing the same problems would ensure that the real powers behind such POGO-related crimes are apprehended and brought to the bar of justice.

“In 2024, what we need is greater cooperation and coordination with different countries to ensure the arrest of syndicates behind this at hindi lang ang maliliit na tao sa grupo nila (not only the small fry),” the official said.

The DOJ is part of a multi-agency team tracking down the illegal activities of POGOs, not just in Metro Manila but in other parts of the country.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian has recommended the total and immediate shutdown of POGOs in the country, saying that the economic benefits it brings to the country is negligible compared to the social costs of their operation, including the increasing number of crimes attributed to their operation, such as human trafficking.

Gatchalian has noted that in 2021, the government earned only around P3 billion from the online gaming industry or a measly 0.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

He said only the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation will lose a substantial portion of its earnings as around 10 percent of its income is generated from POGO operations.

In 2022, the Department of Finance said POGO-related crimes may result in the country losing from P16.7 billion to P26.2 billion in direct foreign investments.

The DOF said data from the Anti-Money Laundering Council also showed that out of the P54 billion worth of POGO transactions from 2017 to 2019, 26 percent were deemed suspicious transactions.

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