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Safeguarding the future: Sen. Joel Villanueva says Senate Bill No. 2868, also known as the Anti-POGO Act of 2024, seeks to permanently put an end to all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country. He said the clamor to ban POGOs in the country started since 2016. But unfortunately, Villanueva said, the proliferation of illegal activities perpetuated by POGOs remains the same today. “According to the Department of Finance (DOF), the economic costs of POGOs amount to a total of P265.74 billion, which significantly outweighs the supposed benefits amounting to P166.49 billion. These amounts do not even include social costs – loss of life, physical and psychological harm to victims, and the increased sense of fear and anxiety in communities associated with POGO activities,” Villanueva pointed out. He said the ban on POGOs is about safeguarding the Filipino society, the country’s economy and its future. (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau).