

The House Committee on Games and Amusement, led by Representative Antonio Ferrer from Cavite’s 6th District, gave its approval to House Bill (HB) 5082 and House Resolution (HR) 1197. These measures aim to prohibit Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and declare their activities unlawful.
Representative Rufus Rodriguez from Cagayan de Oro’s 2nd District, the author of HR 1197, elucidated that his proposal to outlaw POGOs in the nation stems from Article II, Section 5 of the Constitution, which states that “the maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty and property, and the promotion of the general welfare are essential to the enjoyment by the people of the blessings of a democracy.”
Rodriguez referenced data from the Philippine National Police (PNP), which documented 4,039 individuals as victims of crimes associated with POGOs in the initial half of 2023.
“These particular cases include the following – human trafficking, forcible abduction, homicide, illegal detention, kidnapping for ransom, theft, robbery, extortion, serious physical injuries, swindling, grave coercion, investment scam, cryptocurrency scam, and love scam… the entire gamut of criminal law is already included here for the felonies under the Revised Penal Code (RPC),” Rodriguez pointed out, adding that since he filed HR 1197 in August 2023, many more crimes have been committed.
The lawmaker said POGOs led to the rise in prostitution making the “Philippines the international situs of ladies from Vietnam, from Myanmar coming here, not only our ladies, but ladies from the other parts of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) are here.”
Gabriela party-list Representative Arlene Brosas echoed Rodriguez’s assertion, emphasizing that human trafficking and prostitution have become prevalent alongside the expansion of POGOs. She recounted a law enforcement raid conducted at a POGO office in Parañaque in November 2023, during which authorities discovered a massage area and a spa, leading to the rescue of 16 women.
Representative Gus Tambunting from the 2nd District of Parañaque City inquired about the revenue generated by the Philippine Amusement and Games Corporation (PAGCOR) from POGOs and how PAGCOR plans to offset potential revenue losses if the proposed measures are enacted.
In response, PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco stated that the government earned P5.2 billion from POGOs in 2023. He further noted that the closure of POGOs would impact 25,000 Filipino employees, 625,000 square meters of leased commercial office space (excluding leased residential properties), and numerous restaurants in Metro Manila and key cities in the provinces. Tengco clarified that POGO revenues only make up 5 to 6 percent of PAGCOR’s total revenues, with the majority of the agency’s income coming from licensed casinos.
“We have to push hard on all the other revenue generating licensees that we have such as licensed casinos and online gaming,” Tengco said, adding, P6.5 billion to P7 billion income can be generated from the current licensees.
Rep. Eddiebong Plaza (2nd District, Agusan del Sur) saw the issue as a problem of regulation, “PAGCOR is not given enough teeth to lead the regulation of POGOs in our country.”
Tengco reported the corrective measures PAGCOR implemented to address the issues involving POGOs, which according to him had positive results. He said that the crimes and other criminal activities mentioned by Rodriguez have been addressed.
POGO operations have always been the spotlight recently due to numerous activities coming into light as reported by news agencies. PIGO or inshore online gaming with the Philippine Market is safer since it is much regulated and transactions are easily traced since they are local bets. Playing in PAGCOR licensed online gaming sites is always the safe bet!