CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez today praised President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for ordering the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs).
In a surprising move, President Bongbong Marcos Jr. announced the ban on POGOs during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.
Marcos criticized POGOs for abusing and disrespecting the country’s laws.
“We in the House of Representatives have been calling for the closure of POGOs, whether legal or illegal, because of the harm they have caused not only in the areas where they operate but in other communities. We thank the President for finally heeding our call,” Rodriguez said.
He noted that the collective call to ban POGOs was reflected in the approval by the House Committee on Games and Amusement earlier this year of his resolution and a bill authored by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante, both proposing the ban on POGOs.
“We made the proposal long before authorities exposed various criminal activities associated with POGOs, such as those raided in Bamban, Tarlac, and Porac, Pampanga, including money laundering and human trafficking,” he added.
Rodriguez mentioned that many POGO businesses are owned and operated by Chinese nationals who employ their compatriots.
He pointed out that many of these individuals are involved in criminal syndicates that victimize not only other Chinese nationals but also foreigners and Filipinos.
“They are engaged in kidnap-for-ransom. They prey on their own compatriots,” he said.
The Mindanao lawmaker also welcomed the President’s announcement that the Mindanao-Visayas energy grid has been interconnected.
“Hopefully, there will be no more power outages in Cagayan de Oro City and other parts of Mindanao,” he said. He added that the interconnection should also result in lower electricity rates, as many power producers in Visayas and Mindanao are hydroelectric plants.
