Koko urges President Marcos: Announce POGO ban during SONA

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos’ approval rating will surely soar if he announces in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) a total ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) firms, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said yesterday.

Pimentel said announcing a total POGO ban during the SONA would be a good political move for Marcos. However, he was quick to clarify that it is merely his opinion as he is not the President’s political adviser.

“Yes, he might surprise us. The President’s approval rating will kick up when he announces in his SONA that he’s now banning completely all POGO activities in the Philippines,” Pimentel said in an interview with dzBB. “That is a very good political move.”

He added that, if he is the president, he would also keep the move secret.

“I will wait for the SONA so that it will become one of the (highlights). And of course, all the attention there is focused. We will all be surprised. Not only will we be surprised, we will be happy,” Pimentel said.

The lawmaker noted that he has been calling for a POGO ban for a long time now, saying it did more harm than help to the country.

Gatchalian commends Bulacan

His colleague, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, commended the Bulacan provincial government for enacting an ordinance that bans POGO within their jurisdiction.

Gatchalian urged all other local government units to prohibit POGOs in their localities, citing the alleged illegal activities linked to the industry.

“LGUs should emulate the decisive action taken by the Bulacan provincial government and several other city governments to outlaw POGOs in our communities. Given the various criminal activities associated with POGO operations, our communities stand a better chance of achieving inclusive economic growth without POGOs,” Gatchalian said.

“We should no longer allow POGO to remain in our communities if we want to have a good peace and order situation in our areas that are needed for our economic development to be faster,” he added.

Aside from Bulacan, Pasig and Valenzuela cities also issued ordinances banning POGOs in their areas. Bulacan issued the ordinance following the discovery of criminal activities allegedly done by POGO officials in neighboring Tarlac and Pampanga provinces.

“A complete ban on POGOs is an inevitable step we have to take given the various social ills the industry is causing,” emphasized Gatchalian, reiterating his call for the President to ban all POGO operations in the country amid growing public demand.