Mandaue’s BPLO after Pogo-like businesses

Personnel from the Mandaue City BPLO, City Legal Office and Mandaue City Police Office conducted a validation on businesses that operate like Pogos at the City Time Square. | Photo from Mandaue BPLO

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – The Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) in Mandaue City is conducting an inspection of businesses that operate similar to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos).

Atty. August Lizer Malate, the BPLO head, said they had been inspecting online gaming establishments and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), in coordination with the City Legal Office (CLO) and the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), to especially check on their permits and the nature of their operations.

“Ang ilahang set-up man gud pare-pareho [sa Pogo]. We have to ensure nga kining [ilang] operations are legit, nga dili siya nga naka register [nga] call center pero naay online gaming. We can only determine sa truthfulness sa ilahang declaration, application if we inspected them. So, [we] conduct thorough inspection buntag ug gabii. We will be complying with this directive,” said Malate.

READ: Gatchalian: Alice Guo one of the masterminds of Bamban Pogos

Malate said that there are about 10 online gaming establishments here and a hundred BPOs.

He said there are about 2,000 employees working in BPOs and other IT related works in the city.

Aside from looking at their permits, BPLO will also conduct interviews and observe their business operations.

READ: Task force to crack down on Pogos in Cebu City eyed

Ban on Pogos

In addition, they will come up with a report which they will submit to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

During his State of the Nation Address (Sona), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered a ban on Pogo operations in the country.

READ: No POGO in Mandaue City — Jonas

Last July 18, DILG also issued a memorandum circular directing Local Government Units (LGUs) in the country to conduct an inventory and monitor local gaming operations in their respective localities.

DILG Memorandum Circular No. 2024-083 states that the directive was in line with reports on the proliferation of online gaming in various localities without the required government licenses.

READ: Cebu officials support ban on POGOs

“In some cases, aside from illegal gaming, such operations reportedly engage in cyber-crimes such as online scams and digital fraud, as well as human trafficking,” read part of the DILG memorandum.

Quoting information provided by the BPLO, DILG-Mandaue City Director John Joan Mende said there are no legal POGO operations here.

However, Mende is not discounting the possibility of POGO operations disguised as another business type.

“I think it is commendable how Mayor Jonas Cortes, the city invited the public to share information kung naa man gali nga suspected POGOs. Even long before the issuance of [DILG] MC (memorandum circular), they have conducted inspections na,”said Mende.