Churches organize to monitor POGO ban

MANILA, Philippines — An organization of Christian churches in the Philippines will monitor the implementation of the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), as it expressed concern for victims of human trafficking employed in these companies.

The Philippine Interfaith Movement Against Human Trafficking (PIMAHT) “emphasized the urgent need to address the links between POGOs and human trafficking,” according to a report from the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Aside from shutting down POGOs based on President Marcos’ order, the government should also address the issue of children left by POGO employees who have been deported from the Philippines or forced to leave, CBCP assistant secretary general Bryant Restituto said.

“As a network, it [PIMAHT] will become a watchdog to the progress of these directives,” he said.

PIMAHT is composed of representatives from the CBCP, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines and the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC).

“As human trafficking and criminal organizations evolve in their operations, we also evolve and strengthen our resolve in this fight and in this movement,” said PCEC national director Bishop Noel Pantoja, who turned over the chairmanship of PIMAHT to the CBCP.