Gov’t to swiftly act on ‘reinvented POGOs’, Palace assures

By Darryl John Esguerra and Jose Cielito Reganit, Philippine News Agency

ROUNDED UP. Over four hundred foreign nationals are arrested in a raid on an alleged Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) scam hub in Pasay City on Feb. 26, 2025. The government on Thursday (Feb. 27) vowed to take a swift and decisive action against any resurgence of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). (PAOCC Photo)

MANILA – The government vowed to take a swift and decisive action against any resurgence of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

This follows the concerns raised by Senator Risa Hontiveros about the potential revival of POGOs, which she said just morphed into other scam operations.

In a press briefing in Malacañang Thursday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro assured the public that the government would coordinate with relevant law enforcement agencies to target illegal POGOs.

“Makakaasa po kayo ng mabilisang aksyon dito (You can expect a swift action on this),” Castro said.

The official also said that local government officials may be held liable for issuing permits to POGOs without proper documentation.

In July 2024, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. responded to mounting calls to ban POGOs, which had been linked to serious issues, including human trafficking, prostitution, and murder, and ordered a halt to operations immediately, with a complete phase-out scheduled by Dec. 31, 2024.

Castro also addressed concerns regarding the proliferation of text scams, raising the possibility of revisiting the SIM Card Registration Act.

Castro, a lawyer by profession, said it would be better if the registration of the SIM cards would be done face-to-face and not online like what the law mandated.

“Kakayanin po natin ito magrehistro nang tama ang mga SIM cards para maiwasan po iyong mga ganitong klaseng scams na kahit na lang sino ay bumibili ng SIM card; may bayad, bumibili sa iba, binibenta ang kanilang identify, mahihirapan po tayong sugpuin ang krimen kapag po ganoon ang nangyari (We personally register our SIM cards so that we can avoid these scams wherein anyone can just buy a SIM card, they can buy anywhere and they sell their identity, it would be hard for us to eradicate crime if this happens),” she said.

Relentless pursuit vs. POGO-linked syndicates

Meanwhile, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the House Committee on Dangerous Drugs, urged law enforcement agencies to aggressively pursue and dismantle POGO-linked crime groups.

In a statement, Barbers said the recent kidnapping of a foreign student from an international school is a “chilling reminder” of the brutal and inhumane tactics employed by criminal syndicates operating in the Philippines.

“It is even more alarming that authorities have linked this crime to groups associated with POGOs — an industry already banned but whose criminal remnants continue to wreak havoc in our communities. It is further proof that these criminal networks will continue to threaten public safety,” he said.

He also warned that POGOs are fueling heinous crimes in the Philippines, including money laundering, espionage, cyber hacking, wiretapping, murder, kidnapping, rape, prostitution, and torture.

He vowed to support law enforcement in dismantling these criminal enterprises and push for stronger policies to protect communities.

“We owe it to the people to end these threats once and for all,” he said.