CEBU CITY, Philippines – President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. has ordered a ban of Philippine Offshore Gambling Operations (Pogos) in the country.
Marcos made the directive before he ended his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 22.
“I hereby instruct Pagcor to wind down and cease Pogo operations by the end of the year,” Marcos said.
The President’s Sona on Monday, which marked his third year in presidency, lasted for an hour and 21 minutes.
Aside from banning Pogos, which have been under scrutiny due to threats to national security, Marcos mentioned the challenges and accomplishments of his administration in the past year.
These included further energizing the Visayas and Mindanao grid by activating multiple energy lines in the regions.
“This project shall serve to stabilize the power situation in Western and Central Visayas and avert recurrences of recurrences of power outages experienced in the past,” Marcos said.
The President revealed that the Dumanjug-Corrella line went online last week, enabling the transfer of power in Cebu and Bohol provinces.
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“With these systems currently operating at capacity these major power lines shall contribute to the efficient power exchanges not only between Luzon and the Visayas but also involving Mindanao,” said Marcos.
The President also highlighted programs his administration made in sports, and even congratulated Cebu City for hosting the Palarong Pambansa 2024.
“Binabati natin ang Marikina at Cebu at Kagawaran nang Edukasyon sa kanilang matagumpay na pagtatanghal sa mga palarong ito. We will continue to support these health-enhancing sports programs. Through this we will also set our youth on the same well-established path that has taken some of our national champions and renowned athletes to sporting greatness,” Marcos added.