In a significant crackdown on Philippine Overseas Gaming Operations (POGOs), the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) has announced that local government officials are now facing legal action for their failure to curb these activities within their jurisdictions. PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz highlighted that local executives cannot feign ignorance about the POGO operations, which are often visibly active even at the barangay level.
Cruz, in a statement to state-run PTV, stressed the impossibility of these operations emerging overnight without local government knowledge. He quoted President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., who had previously stated that such operations could not exist without the awareness of local governments, particularly at the grassroots level. Cruz did not specify the number of officials charged but warned that owners of properties hosting these illegal operations could also face legal consequences.
The PAOCC chief also mentioned that President Marcos has instructed various agencies to collaborate in addressing and resolving the POGO issue. This directive follows Marcos’s announcement during his third State of the Nation Address last July, where he declared a nationwide ban on all POGOs, aiming for a complete phaseout by the end of 2024. The decision was influenced by the industry’s association with severe crimes including human trafficking, prostitution, abduction, and murder.