PNP vows to closely monitor POGO hubs

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde vowed to closely monitor Philippine offshore gaming operation (POGO) hubs to prevent these firms from causing national security problems.

The intelligence community, according to Albayalde, must determine if the POGOs are being used for purposes other than online gambling.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana earlier said he supports the idea to transfer POGO hubs away from military camps because the Chinese firms could be used for spying.

Albayalde yesterday said the PNP has not received any information that Chinese workers in POGO hubs are committing espionage.

“Those are just allegations. There is no spying activity whatsoever in POGO facilities as of this time,” he said.

Albayalde added it is normal for investors to place their establishments near camps of state forces such as police stations as a security precaution for the business facilities.

He said if you are an investor, you like to be near security forces.

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) chair Andrea Domingo, however, downplayed the security concerns over POGOs and said they are not inclined to worry about any foreign government crackdown on cross-border gambling and will only focus on regulating all offshore gaming operations in the country and collect all taxes from the Chinese gaming firms.

In a Meet the Press forum at the National Press Club in Intramuros, Manila yesterday, Domingo said that worrying about external events that may impact on the volume of offshore gaming business that goes through POGOs, was a futile nerve-wracking exercise.

“You know, the gaming industry is very volatile and sensitive. For example, we have a lot of major players in one country, but when the economy goes down there, the GGR (gross gaming revenues) is down. Nafi-feel namin yan,” Domingo said.

“It’s very volatile and of course, subject to regulation in their own country. What we are doing is that we just keep in mind that we are regulating and we are operating some (POGOs), that is our main goal,” Domingo said.

“For as long as it is there, we will regulate,” she stressed.

Domingo said PAGCOR is keen on pushing through with their project to establish POGO hubs for Chinese nationals despite a recent statement from the Chinese embassy expressing concern on the potential “infringement on the basic legal rights of Chinese citizens concerned.”– With Rainier Allan Ronda