THERE are no active Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) in Cebu as of Tuesday, July 23, 2024.
This was bared by Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO 7) spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare in a media forum on Tuesday following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order for a total ban on Pogo in the country.
Marcos announced the ban during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 22, saying his order is effective immediately.
With this, Pelare said: “We will make sure that there will be no Pogos in Central Visayas.”
He said five Pogos were monitored in Cebu last year, but these are no longer active as of Tuesday.
He said the PRO 7 will continue to monitor the presence of Pogo in Central Visayas, adding that if they monitor one, they will immediately stop its operations.
He asked for the public’s support and cooperation.
“We would like to encourage everyone who has knowledge on any operation, please report it to us so we can take action immediately,” Pelare said.
In his Sona, Marcos also stressed that “extermination is never an option” in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.
In response, Pelare assured the public that Central Visayas is constantly on the lookout for illegal drug operations in the region.
He said the apprehension of illegal drugs will continue and will be conducted in accordance with the law.
He said the PRO 7 adheres to this principle by noting a 99 percent conviction rate among the nearly 17,000 suspects apprehended and the confiscation of illegal drugs worth P2.4 billion.
“This will tell us na ang atoang operations, naa gayuy ebidensya nakuha. This will negate kadtong sa una nga allegations nga ang operations are not done in accordance with the law,” Pelare said. (Fred Leander Baldos, VSU intern)
