A Catholic archbishop has joined the call to ban Chinese offshore gambling operations due to their detrimental impact on the country. Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan authored a pastoral letter urging the termination of the Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) industry. He emphasized that the purported benefits of allowing these operations are far outweighed by the severe threats and damage they cause.
“Whatever benefits that allow them to operate may have been promised are overshadowed completely by the threat they carry with them and in fact, the dreadful harm of their presence,” Villegas said.
Pogos, Chinese-run online gaming companies serving overseas customers, proliferated in the Philippines during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration. Renewed calls to ban Pogos have emerged following increased reports linking the industry to crimes such as kidnapping, human trafficking, and murder. Some government officials are also advocating for the cessation of Pogo operations after discovering large illegal gambling hubs in Tarlac and Pampanga.
“The recent raids that revealed the extent of the evil at these Pogo hubs including incidences of human trafficking and torture and money laundering make it a moral imperative that no longer should they be granted the protection of the law and that they, in fact, should be outlawed,” Villegas said.
Alejandro Tengco, the head of the state gaming regulator Pagcor, revealed in a news report that approximately 250 to 300 offshore gaming sites were operating without a license in the Philippines, significantly higher than the 46 legal operators.
