POGOs, gambling still banned in GCQ areas
Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and other forms of gambling are not yet allowed even in areas under general community quarantine, Malacañang said yesterday.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque noted that POGOs are under the amusement and leisure category, which is considered non-essential because it is not related to health and food.
“(POGOs are) under amusement and leisure so (they are) part of the negative list, along with schools, religious gatherings, kid industry and tourism,” Roque told radio station dzBB.
“While POGOs can seek exemptions and authority from Pagcor, there is no recommendation yet from the IATF,” he added, referring to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, respectively.
President Duterte has extended the enhanced community quarantine in “high risk” areas, namely Metro Manila, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Albay and Catanduanes until May 15.
Benguet, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales, Antique, Iloilo, Aklan, Capiz, Cebu, Cebu City, Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro and Davao City were also placed under enhanced community quarantine, but the government would study whether restrictions in these areas could be eased after April 30.
Other areas were placed in the “moderate-” or “low-” risk categories and are now under general community quarantine. Under the modified quarantine, non-leisure stores in malls may partially open, public transportation may operate at reduced capacity, some sectors are allowed to operate and some workers can go out and work in phases.
While POGOs are contributing billions to state coffers, they have been tied to illegal activities, like money laundering, human trafficking, prostitution, tax evasion, kidnapping and bribery of immigration personnel.
Last Friday, 53 people, including Chinese nationals and Filipinos, were arrested for allegedly violating quarantine measures by carrying out POGO operations in Parañaque City. They are facing charges for violating the Bayanihan Act.
Roque said the government would enforce laws against people who defy the measures being implemented to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“We have the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, and if you violate its regulations while we are under an emergency, you would face charges. The violation of the quarantine can serve as a basis to prosecute or punish anyone,” he added.
Leni nixes POGO resumption
Vice President Leni Robredo yesterday rejected the proposed resumption of work for POGOs, saying the government must prioritize the Filipino workers who have lost their jobs due to the enhanced community quarantine.
Robredo stressed the insignificant contribution of online gambling to the country’s gross domestic product or GDP.
The Vice President said it was revealed during a Senate hearing that POGOs contribute only “about 0.4 percent to our domestic economy.”
“Are we going to prioritize (POGO workers) instead of our countrymen who need to return to work?” she said in her weekly program over radio station dzXL.
Robredo noted that many of those who lost their jobs were from the informal economy.
“Many of our workers are from the informal economy, the drivers, vendors, those who are running eateries. They are not registered workers and could not avail themselves of assistance from, example, (the Social Security System),” she said.