By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – Senator Raffy Tulfo on Thursday criticized what he claimed an unfair system in handling raids on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), questioning why Filipino workers receive government aid while foreign nationals are detained and deported.
During the public hearing at the Senate, Tulfo said a foreign national who worked in a POGO entity after falling prey to human trafficking and another worker, a Filipino, have approached him through his radio program and disclosed that foreign workers arrested during POGO raids are jailed and deported while Filipinos are given government aid.
He said the workers also bared that POGO workers, Filipinos and foreigners alike, are involved in love scams targeting both locals and foreigners.
“Binabayaran sila, pinapa-acting sila and then kapag nahuhuli sila, aba, binibigyan pa ng ayuda ng DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) kasi sasabihin na kawawa naman ‘yan, na-human traffick (They are paid, they act in these scams, and then when they get caught, they are given assistance by the DSWD because they are labeled as trafficking victims). I want those people accounted for,” he said.
Tulfo called for accountability, stressing that Filipino workers playing a role in fraudulent activities should also face legal consequences
“POGOs wouldn’t function without Filipinos supervising operations. I want those people arrested when a raid is conducted, except for janitors, utility staff, and cooks,” he said.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) has cancelled 42 internet gaming licenses and the license of 18 authorized providers, effectively shutting down the industry by January 2025.
The last POGO license was revoked on Dec. 15, 2024.
These were made after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the shutting down of all POGO operations in the country by Dec. 31, 2024 or earlier.
Prior to the ban, the sector employed 58,181 individuals, including 30,144 foreign workers.
Since the Dec. 31 deadline, authorities have intensified operations against illegal POGOs, with the Bureau of Immigration and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission reporting 3,024 arrests. (PNA)
