ALL Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hubs in the country are now closed, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chairman Alejandro Tengco said Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
Tengco made the declaration during the ceremonial closure of the Pogo compound at the Island Cove Resort in Kawit, Cavite led by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
(This is the only remaining Pogo or offshore gaming hub in the entire Philippines. As of this morning that it has been closed, there are no more Pogo hubs left here in the entire country.)
According to Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, the Pogo facility situated in the 33-hectare property in Kawit is the biggest in the country. It has 30,000 employees, half of which were Filipinos, during the peak of its operations since 2019.
The compound consists of 57 buildings, which include employee dormitories, gaming hubs, cafès, groceries, clinic, restaurants, spas and beauty salons, among others.
(As of last month, the buildings here no longer have electricity, it has been turned off. So you can see that there are no more signs of habitation here and no more signs of business.)
“Ang DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) at DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) ay gumawa ng job fair para sa kanila (displaced Filipino workers) para may mapuntahan silang ibang mga trabaho kasi may shortage rin tayo ng workers sa mga call centers so puwede sila maabsorb doon. ‘Yung mga foreign workers, narepatriate na ata lahat eh, na downgrade na ‘yung mga visa nila to tourist so hindi na sila puwede magtrabaho dito. So halos lahat wala na rito eh umuwi na,” he added.
(The DOLE (Department of Labor and Employment) and DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) held a job fair for them (displaced Filipino workers) so that they can find other jobs because we also have a shortage of workers in call centers, so they can be absorbed there. The foreign workers have all been repatriated; their visas have been downgraded to tourist so they can no longer work here. So almost everyone is gone and gone home.)
Island Cove was previously owned by Remulla’s family. It was sold to the real estate developer in 2017 and was reopened as Pogo compound in 2019.
Four Pogo licensees rented and operated in the compound.
The PAOCC, along with the Philippine National Police (PNP), assured the continuous monitoring and operations as a preventive measure against the reported guerilla Pogo operations.
“Marami kaming report niyan. Hindi natatapos yan. Ang tawag diyan nag ma-mushroom sila eh. Meron kaming Task Force Skimmer na compose ng Anti-Cybercrime Group and we have reports namo-monitor namin ‘yung sa online sa internet nila, gaano po yun karaming tao and alam mo may mga foreigners na binabantayan kami,” PNP Chief General Rommel Marbil said.
(We have many reports of that. It never ends. That's what they call mushrooming. We have a Task Force Skimmer composed by the Anti-Cybercrime Group and we have reports; we can monitor those online, how many people are there, and whether there are foreigners watching us.)
“May mga reports talaga kami. Maririnig niyo, makikita niyo, pagtutulungan po namin after January 1, you will see ang power ng gobyerno laban sa mga ganito. We will make sure. Matutupad ‘yung pangako ng Presidente natin na wala pong Pogo by January 1,” he added.
(We really have reports. You will hear and see, and we will cooperate to make sure that after January 1, you will see the power of the government against Pogos. We will make sure. Our President's promise that there will be no Pogo by January 1 will be fulfilled.)
Cruz said they have monitored around 100 guerilla Pogo operations all throughout the country.
Tengco said the total ban on Pogos in the country would mean P20 billion losses to the government.
He, however, expressed optimism that the new gaming licenses will cover such losses.
In his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) in July 2024, Marcos said Pogos have caused chaos in the country, hence it should stop.
Pogos have been in hot water following the discovery of two illegal firms in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga which have been found to be involved in scamming activities, human trafficking, money laundering, kidnapping, torture, sexual abuse and even murder. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)