Senator urges close coordination among agencies vs. POGO

By Wilnard Bacelonia, Philippine News Agency

ANTI-POGO OPS. Personnel from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), and Bureau of Immigration (BI) raid an alleged scam hub in Bagac, Bataan on Oct. 31, 2024. Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday (Nov. 6) urged all concerned agencies to closely coordinate with each other to prevent POGOs from exploiting operational gaps. (PNA photo by Yancy Lim)

MANILA – Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday urged the various government agencies concerned with the eradication of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and their crimes to closely coordinate with each other to further strengthen the campaign against POGOS.

“I call on the Philippine National Police, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Bureau of Immigration (BI), and other law-enforcement agencies, in coordination with PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation), to sit down and craft a consolidated approach in our advocacy to end all POGO-linked criminalities in the country,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

“The absence of unity and coordination among all concerned agencies could potentially weaken our campaign and enable POGOs to exploit gaps and continue their operations,” he emphasized.

Gatchalian made the statements following what PAOCC described as a “flawed” anti-POGO operation at the Century Peak Tower in Ermita, Manila on Oct. 29 where foreign suspects were reportedly released.

The Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group (PNP-ACG) spearheaded the operation, but the PAOCC said it was not consulted.

“Huwag nating hayaang magpatuloy ang masasamang gawain ng mga POGO sa ating mga komunidad dahil lamang sa kakulangan ng koordinasyon (We should not let these illegal activities by POGOs continue in our communities just because of lack of coordination),” Gatchalian said.

In his last State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. banned all POGOs in the country and ordered PAGCOR “to wind down and cease the operations of POGOs by the end of the year.”

PAOCC reported that based on intelligence reports, 111 illegal POGO hubs in different parts of the country have yet to cease operations.