'POGOs ban unlikely sans force of law'

A RANKING lawmaker said Friday that banning Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country is never going to happen unless a law is passed to enforce it.

House Ways and Means Committee chairman and Albay 2nd District Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente «Joey» Salceda made the remark after several senators signed a committee report that recommended the ban of POGOs in the country.

Senators who signed the panel report include Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Senate President Pro-Tempore Lorna Regina «Loren» Legarda, Senate Majority Leader Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino «Koko» Pimentel 3rd, Ronald «Bato» dela Rosa, Joseph Victor «JV» Ejercito, Mary Grace Poe, Rafael «Raffy» Tulfo, Pilar Juliana «Pia» Cayetano and Ana Theresia «Risa» Hontiveros.

Earlier, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan supported calls to ban POGOs in the country, noting that the social costs of maintaining these gambling services is «quite high,» and urged the government to encourage legitimate investments that do not promote negativities to society.

But Salceda said issues that were raised against POGOs concerned law enforcement, and any solution to law enforcement issues is to «enforce the law.»

«Enough safeguards exist in our laws to punish supposed crimes committed [by] POGOs, and enough mechanisms exist to shut down any erring business,» Salceda added.

Moreover, he said banning an entire business on the basis of issues that law enforcement can address is «like burning the whole house down to snuff out the rats.»

He also cited countries like Gibraltar and Cyprus, whose offshore gaming operations is a leading employer and adds a source of value even if it was not a Chinese-dominated sector.

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