MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday called for the dismantling of underground Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) networks following recent raids in Cubao, Quezon City, and Zamboanga Sibugay, warning that the illegal operations could pose national security risks despite a nationwide ban.
Hontiveros said the continued discovery of POGO hubs nearly two years after the prohibition showed the need for tougher enforcement, including holding accountable those who finance the operations and provide them with premises.
“We have already passed the Anti-POGO Act, institutionalizing the ban on these operations once and for all. Yet they continue to defy it, right under our noses,” she said in a statement.
Hontiveros warned that POGO hubs had been linked to human trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, financial scams and other criminal activities, citing findings from years of Senate investigations.
She called on authorities to identify and hold accountable those who financed the illegal operations, leased properties to their operators, and allowed them to continue.
“Now that they continue to operate, the government must identify and hold accountable those who funded these operations, leased these properties, and allowed them to exist,” she said.
