Malacañang, Congress told: 'Stop dilly-dallying, ban POGOs now'

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III welcomed the pronouncement of his fellow Senator Imee Marcos that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos is considering a ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.

"It's a welcome development. Coming from the President's sister herself, I would like to believe that we are moving in that direction of totally halting the operation of POGOs in the country," Pimentel said.

Pimentel was reacting to a statement made by Senator Marcos that the President is mulling a ban on POGOs.

"Let's prohibit it. POGO is detrimental to the Republic of the Philippines," Pimentel stressed.

"The continued operation of POGOs in the country is dangerous. It is akin to harboring would-be criminals and gangsters that can eventually cause massive disruption of peace and order in the country as we are beginning to see now with the spate of kidnapping incidence and other violent activities related to POGOs," Pimentel said on Monday.

Pimentel said that Malacañang should heed the call for a total ban on POGOs as he lamented how "the country has become a playground for undesirable foreign nationals".

The Minority Leader and Chairman of PDP Laban reiterated a call he made over the weekend for the government and Congress to make POGOs illegal.

"Kung sa China, where most of these people come from, bawal ang POGOs, why did we open our doors to POGOs?" Pimentel added.

Pimentel also urged the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives to make the banning of POGO a legislative priority.

"Given what we're seeing now as numerous ill effects of POGOs, the Congress has the moral duty to ban POGOs. We should act now. It will be a bipartisan measure," he said.

"We can't afford to dilly-dally on banning POGOs when the nation's moral fiber and peace and order are on the line," Pimentel stressed.

''You are the majority. Get your act together. If you say 'stop POGO', we will support you,'' Pimentel had said earlier.