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CEBU CITY, Philippines — Following the directives of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the local government of Cebu City is willing to submit proof that there are no Pogos (Philippine Overseas Gaming Operations) here anymore.
DILG Secretary Jonvic Remulla recently issued an order for LGUs to submit their ‘No Pogos’ certificates by the end of January this year.
Pogos are banned under President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Executive Order No. 74.
Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia on Monday, said that the LGU would “comply” with the directive but they had first to call for a coordination meeting with the Business Permit and Licensing Office (BPLO) together with law enforcement agencies like the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.
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Garcia said that these agencies would have to do their inspections on various establishments in the city. Then, they have to issue a certification to the mayor that will prove there are no Pogos in the locality.
“I will now use [it] in basis for issuing the certification didto sa DILG. I want to make sure nga naay (that there will be a) coordination meeting with all of these enforcement agencies before I make the certification sa (for) DILG on the certification nga(that) there are no more Pogos here in the City of Cebu,” Garcia said.
He added that he was a “hundred percent” sure that there were no more “legal” Pogos but only “90 percent” sure on Pogo-like activities.
“Kay underground man na sila (Pogo-like activities), di gyud ko na makit-an but based on among mga leads pod, tingali it is 90 percent,” he said.
(Because they are underground (Pogo-like activities), I cannot see them but based on our leads, perhaps, it is 90 percent.)
Pogo-like activities encompass operations resembling those carried out by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs). These enterprises specialize in providing online gaming services, mainly targeting clients located outside the Philippines, and are often associated with gambling and betting activities.
“But as of now, wa naman gyud. We looked at our BPLO records, we’ve done that last year, wa naman gyud. When the President made his announcement sa SONA niya, a week after that I formed a team who did inspections. Wa na gyud mi nakit-an,” Garcia added.
(But as of now, there is nothing there. We looked at out BPLO records, we’ve done that last year, there is nothing there. When the President made his announcement in his SONA, a week after that I formed a team, who did inspections. We did not see anything anymore.)
He also assured that he had “enough time” despite the hectic schedule for the Sinulog 2025 preparations.
“We will do what we have to do,” he said.