PNP to intensify operations vs illegal POGOs

MANILA, Philippines —  Aday after President Marcos signed Republic Act 12312 or the anti-POGO act of 2025, law enforcement agencies vowed to intensify the crackdown on Philippine offshore gaming operators.

Acting Philippine National Police chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said the signing of the landmark law is a signal for the PNP to eradicate all clandestine POGO networks attempting to continue their criminal enterprise.

The law cancels the work permits and visas of all individuals engaged in offshore gaming operations, or employed by POGOs, POGO gaming content providers and accredited service providers.

Nartatez directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to intensify intelligence and operational efforts to hunt down all remaining illegal POGO sites.

“We are profoundly grateful for the signing of this measure. It gives us the full legal muscle needed to decisively end the menace of illegal POGOs once and for all,” he said in a statement.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said RA 12312 would help law enforcement agencies in ending the POGO scourge.

The PAOCC will also form an oversight committee to monitor the operations against POGOs.

Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives welcomed President Marcos’ signing of anti-POGO law.

“The President has struck a blow against avarice and vice – one that will resonate across our nation as a reaffirmation of moral governance and respect for the rule of law,” Manila 6th district Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. said in a statement.

Abante, one of the principal authors of the measure and a longtime anti-gambling advocate, said the law is a “concrete step toward restoring morality, order, and safety in the country after years of crimes and corruption as a result of POGO operations.”

Abante vowed to monitor the implementation of the ban to ensure that all POGOs are fully shut down and that no illegal online gambling operations emerge under a different name.

For his part, Manila 2nd district Rep. Rolando Valeriano, chairman of the House committee on public order and safety said the signing of RA 12312 is a big boost to his House Bill 1455 banning online cockfighting and gambling.

“Merely regulating online gambling lets this evil menace persist at destroying Filipino lives and families. The proper solution the Filipino people want is banning all online gambling, not just POGOs,” Valeriano said in a statement. – Jose Rodel Clapano