Duterte wants restrictions on POGOS

AFTER TELLING China last year not to interfere in the Philippine offshore gaming operations, now President Duterte wants to impose restrictions on the games, citing high cases of corruption, extortion, and kidnappings linked to the Chinese operations of controversial online gaming. China has previously appealed to Duterte to ban the offshore games, but the President rejected this because of the taxes

the government collects from them. The Chinese foreign ministry called on the Philippines to ban all online gaming involving Chinese citizens, saying that “online gambling is a most dangerous tumor in modern society.”

Duterte said he is now considering regulating the number of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOS) in the country. “It’s a game for the overseas Chinese, but the thing is, this kind of, especially gambling, breeds so many things: corruption, increase in crimes of extortion and kidnapping,” Duterte said in an interview aired by dzmm.

But he reminded POGO owners to remit their dues to government faithfully or face consequences. “If you make the mistake of not remitting, even if you’re a gambling lord, I don’t care who you are,” he said.

The Philippine

Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) suspended new POGO applications until all concerns have been addressed. There are some 60 POGOS operating in the country, according PAGCOR.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has collected about P200 million in taxes from foreigners working for POGOS which employs about 130,000 Chinese nationals in the Philippines.

According to the Department of Finance, the government loses about P24 billion yearly for every 100,000 POGO workers who do not pay taxes.

“If you add more to this number, presently operating, you will not be able to police them all. So you have to set a number for that. It cannot be in every town and city about so many POGO games going on,” Duterte said.

Last November, Duterte imposed a three-day deadline for delinquent

POGOS to settle their tax liabilities. From January to August 2019, the BIR said it collected P1.63 billion in withdrawing taxes from POGOS.

The Philippine National Police-anti-kidnapping Group reported that there were six Pogo-related kidnappings from January to November 2019. In October, the National Bureau of Investigation also rescued 91 Chinese and four Filipino women from a karaoke bar in Makati City that served as sex den for Chinese clients.

Despite the incidents, Duterte in September said POGO operations will continue because it is good for the country. Duterte, in his latest remarks, said he had already received a commitment from China during his recent meeting with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian that Beijing would not interfere in the Philippines’ policies on POGOS. (Ruth Abbey Carlos)