By Cai U. Ordinario & Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz
FOREIGN nationals in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) hubs may lodge complaints at any time against those who would harass them in these premises, according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).
In a statement on Thursday, Pagcor Chairman Andrea Domingo said these complaints may be filed 24/7 since there are enforcers stationed at Pogo hubs to provide these workers with protection from various threats.
She said even employers who overstep their authority by, among others, harassing their workers may also be complained against by Pogo workers anytime.
“The Pogo concept was put into implementation because we wanted to protect the foreign workers from being harassed,” Domingo said in a recent television interview. “If they are in a hub together with us 24/7, they can always lodge complaints.”
Domingo reiterated that Pogo hubs are not meant to limit the freedom of workers. Instead, they offer convenience and protection to foreign workers, who are mostly Chinese.
Aside from the offices of Pagcor, Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Bureau of Immigration (BI) and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Domingo said Pogo hubs will have hospitals and clinics to provide health services.
Domingo said the idea behind their information technology parks is to provide integrated working spaces for Pogos that are safe and secure.
“This is like a one-stop shop, the BIR will be there, the DOLE will be there, BI will be there, we will be there 24/7, because I think it is our responsibility,” Domingo said.
Dominguez’s support
Earlier, Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III supported the creation of online gaming hubs or IT parks that host Pogos and other service providers for easier
monitoring and tax collection.
In terms of tax management, Dominguez said it is easier for the BIR to monitor and collect appropriate taxes if foreign workers, who are mostly Chinese, are concentrated in one place.
The Department of Finance and BIR expect to collect at least P2 billion in personal income taxes per month from foreign workers. The government disclosed that line agencies have collected P200 million from the sector for the month of July.
House inquiry
MEMBERS of the House minority on Thursday filed a resolution asking the House Committee on Games and Amusement and the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability to look into the proliferation of Pogo, and their effects on the Filipino people, the local economy and national security.
In House Resolution 221, Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Rep. Ferdinand Gaite and Rep. Euefemia Cullamat cited what they described as rising concern that the operation of offshore gambling in the country is not only being used by its operators to skirt their respective countries’ laws, particularly in mainland China, but also to flout the laws of their host country.
“Gambling is illegal in mainland China, except for their autonomous regions like Hong Kong and Macau. State-run lotteries are the only forms of gambling in China; unauthorized gambling is a crime, including online gambling,” the resolution said.
The lawmakers said the recent concerns over national security cannot be ignored as Pogo hubs are being set up near military or naval installations, like the resort formerly known as Island Cove in Cavite.
Offshore gaming operations were introduced by the Pagcor in 2016. These Pogos are gaming firms that facilitate online gaming via the Internet.
The Pagcor claims that Pogo was conceptualized to “enable the Philippine government to capture a greater share of the growing, yet previously unregulated, online gaming pie.”
The Pagcor also said the system is strictly for foreigners or what it refers to as “offshore-authorized players.” Filipino citizens, even while overseas, are not allowed to play.
The lawmakers said the Philippine government harps on the same string, emphasizing the revenue from Pogo.
Pagcor expects to account for additional revenue of P6 billion from Pogo just this year. The BIR expects to collect an estimated P2 billion a month, or P24 billion a year, from the agreement.
“Pogos, though, are currently saddled by several serious issues such as the monitoring of revenues and taxation, the unbridled entry of foreigners that eventually work at these Pogos without valid work permits. There are also related serious issues of money laundering, usury or loan sharking, illegal immigration, human trafficking and other crimes. Of late, the PNP has reported a rising number of Chinese nationals now involved in the commission of crimes, like illegal recruitment, kidnapping, extortion and even murder,” the resolution said.
Report sought
ACT-CIS Rep. Eric Yap, chairman of the House Committee on Games and Amusement, said the panel will ask the Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Labor and Employment to report to the committee the situation relating Pogo.
He said the committee will also study the creation of an interagency unit to regulate and document the entry of Pogo workers in the country.
“We want to know how many Pogo Chinese workers in the country and how much taxes they are paying to the government,” he said.
Pagcor said there are 57 Pogos and about 260 to 270 service providers operating in the country.
The Department of Finance, citing its initial list, counted 138,000 foreigners working in Pogo, of whom 54,241 were given Alien Employment Permits with another 83,760 holding special working permits.
Yap said creating an interagency office could help resolve the reported kidnapping, extortion, theft and other misbehavior involving Chinese workers.
Earlier, the Chinese Embassy expressed “grave concern” over Pagcor’s potential move to come up with Pogo hubs to address the complaints of Filipinos over the reported unruly behavior of some Chinese workers.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes