Bills creating dep’t of OFWs, taxing POGOs certified as urgent

MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has certified as urgent two measures — one to help the government to better collect taxes from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and another to create a separate department for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday afternoon confirmed that Duterte certified as urgent Senate Bill (SB) 2232 also known as “An Act Taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations.”

“The Palace confirms that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has certified as urgent Senate Bill No. 2232, entitled ‘An Act Taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations, Amending for the Purpose Sections 22, 25, 27, 28 and Adding a New Section 125-A of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, As Amended, and For Other Purposes’,” Roque said.

Roque said Duterte expressed hope that the measure would not only generate the much-needed revenues in the country but also place the industry under stricter government oversight.

If passed into law, SB 2232 can generate additional revenues that can exceed the PHP7.18 billion collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) from POGOs last year.

Senator Pia Cayetano, the sponsor of the measure, said the 2020 collection is 11.71 percent higher than the PHP6.42 billion in 2019.

“But considering the proliferation of POGOs in the country in recent years, the potential of this industry as a source of revenue for the government could have been much bigger,” she said.

Currently, around 60 POGO operators have secured licenses to operate in the Philippines.

Department of OFWs

Meanwhile, Roque said Duterte also certified as urgent SB 2234 also known as “An Act Creating the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos.”

“The Chief Executive has likewise certified as urgent Senate Bill No. 2234, entitled ‘An Act Creating the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos,’ to provide a more efficient, whole-of-government approach to protect the rights and promote the welfare and interest of overseas Filipinos,” Roque said in a press statement.

If passed into law, SB 2234 would turn the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration into the Department of Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos (DMWOF), which would be mandated to oversee all policies protecting the welfare of Filipinos abroad.

The functions of other agencies currently under several government departments handling different concerns of overseas Filipinos would be merged and transferred under DMWOF.

Senator Joel Villanueva, the sponsor of the bill, said the measure would help streamline the delivery of government assistance to OFWs in need.

SB 2234 is among the bills the Senate wants to pass on final reading before the sine die adjournment of Congress on June 5.

Duterte has repeatedly called for the creation of a separate department that would handle concerns of OFWs in his previous state of the nation addresses.