SENATE majority leader Joel Villanueva yesterday pressed President Marcos Jr. to order the immediate banning of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country following a recent raid of an unlicensed gaming hub in Pasay City that was allegedly engaged in sex trafficking.
“It baffles me that POGOs with cancelled licenses are still operating. The reality is that there is a high possibility that this is not an isolated case. This exactly the reason why we are pushing for the total ban of POGOs in the country,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva was referring to the raid last Friday made by an inter-agency team led by the Department of Justice on an internet gaming license (IGL) center in Pasay City for alleged human trafficking where 731 Filipino and foreign workers of Smart Web technology Corporation were detained and held.
The raid was conducted on the strength of a search warrant issued by a local court for alleged violation of RA 9208 or the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act and Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Person Act, but the operatives discovered that the firm was engaged in sex trafficking.
The raiding team discovered an alleged prostitution den with an “aquarium” where customers can view the women whom they want to hire as sex partners. Seven Filipinas were rescued from the aquarium.
Villanueva said the proliferation of the illegal POGO operations should compel the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to “ramp up and do a better job of shutting down POGO operations in the country.”
“As we have consistently emphasized, the social costs associated with gambling, especially POGOs, far outweigh their economic benefits,” he added.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, in a statement released Sunday night, said there is a need for the President to immediately ban POGOs “in the wake of a shocking revelation exposing a POGO hub’s involvement in prostitution.”
“This is probably the worst that POGOs have ever been. It’s profoundly disturbing. What we’re witnessing here is essentially a self-contained hub for sexual exploitation and slavery… This incident provides stark confirmation of the concerns we’ve voiced for quite some time now — that criminal activities associated with POGOs will continue to intensify unless we shut down the entire industry,” Gatchalian said.
He said “it appears” that PAGCOR issued an internet gaming license to Smart Web Technology Corporation, located in a six-story building along Williams Street in Pasay City, without conducting a thorough inspection.
Authorities said the company continued its operations even after PAGCOR revoked its license under a different name in September this year, according to Gatchalian.
He added that this demonstrates that PAGCOR has been ineffective in regulating online gaming and gambling operations in the country.
In an earlier bid to improve the regulation of POGOs, PAGCOR has invalidated all POGO licenses as of September this year. In lieu of licenses, internet gaming licenses were issued. PAGCOR earlier said a complete list of around 55 to 65 IGL licensees will be released by the end of the month.
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, has been pressing for the expulsion of POGO operators in the country, citing rising criminal activities attributed to the industry including human trafficking, forcible abduction, homicide, illegal detention, kidnapping-for-ransom, theft, robbery-extortion, serious physical injuries, swindling, grave coercion, investment scam, cryptocurrency scam, love scam, and the most recent addition being prostitution.
Gatchalian’s panel has come up with a committee report calling on senators to adopt a resolution urging the Executive branch to stop POGO operations.
The committee report has yet to gain more signatures from committee members before it can be tackled in plenary.