Marcos to ban PIGOs if POGO-like horrors arise, Palace says

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

“As of now, napag-aralan po and may continuing study po ang ginagawa natin patungkol po sa PIGO (As of now, a continuing study is being done about PIGO),” Castro said. (PNA photo by Darryl John Esguerra)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. would not hesitate to impose a total ban on Philippine inland gaming operators (PIGOs) if they are found to be causing the country similar problems that led to the shutdown of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), Malacañang said Thursday.

Responding to concerns raised by Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero regarding the impact of PIGOs on Filipinos, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro assured the public that the government is closely monitoring the situation and conducting a study to assess the effects of PIGOs or local online gambling in the country.

“As of now, napag-aralan po and may continuing study po ang ginagawa natin patungkol po sa PIGO (As of now, a continuing study is being done about PIGO),” Castro said.

She said a comparison is being made between POGOs and PIGOs to determine if similar issues arise from the latter.

“Pero as of now, lumalabas po sa pag-aaral ay hindi po ito nakakagawa ng krimen – hindi siya nagiging cause or hindi siya iyong nagiging dahilan iyong PIGO para makagawa ng krimen (As of now, the study shows that PIGO has yet to cause or produce crimes),” Castro said.

Castro cited some key differences between POGOs and PIGOs, saying that while POGOs typically hire foreign workers, PIGOs employ mostly Filipinos, with 90 percent of their workforce being locals.

She also highlighted the economic benefits of PIGOs, noting that unlike POGOs, which had issues with tax compliance, PIGOs contribute significantly to the Philippine economy through taxes and marketing expenditure within the country.

However, Castro made it clear that should PIGOs start causing similar issues to those linked to POGOs, the President would not hesitate to impose a total ban.

“Kung mangyayari ulit iyong nangyari sa POGO dito sa PIGO, hindi po mag-aatubili ang Pangulo na magkaroon din po nang total ban sa PIGO pero siyempre kakailanganin po natin ng data patungkol dito (If what happened to POGO will also happen to PIGO, then the President would not hesitate to impose a total ban as well on PIGOs, but of course it will be based on data),” she said.

Marcos ordered a total ban on POGOs last year due to their links to crimes such as human trafficking, prostitution and murder.