SENATOR Risa Hontiveros pressed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) on Monday to pursue and promptly collect a ballooning P1.36 billion that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) owe government.
Citing a recent report from the Commission on Audit (COA), Hontiveros confirmed that the P1.36 billion is the total outstanding debt of 15 POGOs operating in the country.
“Why did they let the POGO debt balloon? [Bakit hinayaang umabot sa ganitong kalaki ang utang ng POGO?], the Senator asked.
She emphasized that Pagcor “needs to throw its weight and go after them [POGOs].”
“Bilyon na pala ang utang, ang dami pang krimen na pinasok sa Pilipinas,” the lawmaker lamented. [It turns out the debt is in billions; and numerous crimes were committed in the Philippines.] Hontiveros prodded POGOs to just “pay your debts and leave the country.” (“Magbayad na at umalis na kayong lahat sa Pilipinas.”)
At the same time, Hontiveros recalled that according to Pagcor’s Legal Department, of the 15 delinquent POGOs, three were still operating as of January 12, 2021. Eight POGOs had their licenses canceled with three under review; one was suspended.
She suggests that once the delinquent POGOs tax debts are settled, the government should no longer renew their licenses.
The Senator recalled that “when POGOs first entered the country, we were promised investment and economic activity, but what we got was a myriad of crimes.”
Hontiveros, who earlier led a Senate inquiry into “the rise of POGO-related prostitution,” also cited a report that the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) recently nabbed two Chinese POGO employees who abducted two other Chinese nationals.
The senator, in her statement, stressed that until now, even in the middle of the pandemic, POGO-related crimes continue.
“Sa gitna ng striktong quarantine sa Metro Manila, nagawa pa nilang mangidnap? Kung lumuwag-luwag ang travel restrictions, sigurado business as usual din ang kanilang mga krimen,” Hontiveros said. [In the midst of strict quarantine in Metro Manila, they still had the gall to go into kidnapping? If travel restrictions are relaxed, their crimes will surely be business as usual.]
The lawmaker warned: “If we don’t kick POGOs out, chances are these crimes will only multiply.”
Hontiveros earlier joined Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon and Sen. Francis Pangilinan in voting “No” to the POGO tax bill approved in the Senate last June, disagreeing with the preferential tax treatment given to POGOs in the bill “because of the opacity and murkiness of the industry.”
She stressed that “Pagcor should not condone this P1.36-billion debt.”
“I have repeatedly called on the government to get rid of POGOs because the social cost of their operations outweighs the shallow gains,” the lawmaker said.
“Sakit sila sa ulo na hindi kailanman magagamot,” Hontiveros added. [They are mental aches that can never be cured.] “We didn’t need POGOs then and we surely don’t need them now.”