Abalos to check if Cebu has Pogos

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. (File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

CEBU CITY, Philippines – The chief of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will visit Cebu next week as their department will investigate reports of Philippine Offshore Gambling Operations (Pogos) operating here.

In an interview with reporters at Manila on July 23, Interior Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. said Cebu has no registered Pogos, which President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. recently banned.

However, he revealed that they received reports that such firms continue to operate in the island-province.

“We’re going to Cebu next week, because there are reports that there are such activities. But remember there are no Pogos in Cebu, no licensed Pogo — nothing,” Abalos said in a mix of Filipino and English.

During his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July 23, Marcos ordered to ban all Pogos in the country following calls from multiple stakeholders, including his own economic advisors.

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Abalos: No Pogo in Cebu but will investigate suspicious sites

Cebu officials support ban on POGOs

Local officials here, including the mayors of the tri-cities, vowed to support the President’s new directives.

But, together with the Police Regional Office here (PRO-7), they assured the public that Pogos no longer operate here.

The Pogo industry, which boomed during the Duterte administration, has been repeatedly linked to crime syndicates engaged in human trafficking, kidnapping, robbery-extortion, money laundering, online scams and lately, espionage.

Pogo used to be the official designation for firms operating in the Philippines that offered online gambling services exclusively to markets outside the country, specifically China.

To be legal, they must be licensed by Pagcor and were obliged to bar any individual in the Philippines, Filipino citizens regardless of location, and potential patrons in countries and territories where offshore gambling is illegal from availing themselves of their services.