Poe on POGOs

It has become clear from the most recent Senate hearing on POGOs that the social costs of POGOs are starting to outweigh whatever economic gains that this particularly pernicious industry is bringing in the country.

Kung dati ay hindi pagbabayad ng tamang buwis, mass migration at real estate bubble ang pino-problema natin sa usapin ng POGO, ngayon ay may dagdag pang kidnapping, prostitution, torture at maging murder na kinasasangkutan ng mga POGOs.

It's like POGO as a mother vice gives birth to a whole slew of other vices and crimes.

The PNP's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group itself said that the Philippines became a cradle for Chinese gangsters after Vietnam and Cambodia banned Chinese-backed online gambling and overseas casinos. In 2022 alone, majority of kidnapping cases are POGO-related.

We should launch a full-on probe on the social costs of POGOs and evaluate whether the country can still accommodate its operations and, if yes, at what cost. I will be filing a resolution on this immediately so that the chamber and the public can explore together its stance on POGOs once and for all.