NANCY ON POGO: 'IS IT WORTH IT?'

Senator Nancy Binay said she has no qualms supporting the move to ban Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) if it poses no benefit to the country.

"Is it worth it? Kung hindi sulit ang kinikita mula sa POGO lalo pa't dumarami ang krimen na konektado dito handa kami magpasa ng batas para sa total ban ng POGO," Binay said.

Binay cited police reports connecting POGOs to the rise in kidnappings, acts of violence, extortion and even murder with POGO workers as victims.

As of September 7, the PNP said that it had recorded 27 kidnapping cases so far this year, 20 of which were POGO-related.

The senator said she is looking forward to the hearing of the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Thursday to measure the economic benefits of POGO operations vis-à-vis its social costs.

"Dapat pag aralan ang pros and cons ng operasyon ng POGO at tignan kung kung may silbi ba ito sa bansa," Binay said.

Earlier, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the country can move forward without POGOs as it has already seen a decline in revenue generation.

During the Development Budget Coordination Committee briefing at the senate, he cited how the total revenues from the industry dipped to an estimated P3.9 billion in 2021, down from the P7.2 billion recorded in the previous year.