Senator Frank Drilon said the country’s laws and authorities could only do so much in stopping the deluge of dirty money and Chinese criminals brought by Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO).
Drilon made the statement amid appeals for tougher anti-money laundering laws amid the influx of over $1 billion dirty money in 2019.
“Hind lahat pwedeng ilagay sa batas given our record of implementation. Sa akin po, hindi ba nag-umpisa ito lahat ng magtayo ng POGO. Sa Cambodia, itinigil iyan ng sistema ng POGO,” said Drilon in a DZMM interview.
We are not advocates for its continuance: Pagcor ready to shutter POGOs
“Sa akin, ang solusyon ay isara natin ang POGO.Wala namang dagdag sa ating ekonomiya. Kung meron man, maliit lang. Tumataas lang ang real estate price, nagkakaroon ng bubble sa real estate kaya kapag umalis sila maraming vacant spaces, babagsak ang presyo ng mga pinaparentahan na mga opisina.
Tapos siguro yung mga restaurants. Ang advantage dahilan sa POGO ay sobrang liit kumpara sa mga disadvantage. Nagiging labahan ng mga POGO players itong ating bansa,” he added.
While Cambodia Prime Minsiter Hun Sen has banned on-line casinos catering to mainland Chinese gamblers in response to China President Xi Jinping’s appeal, President Rodrigo has uncharacteristically declined and cited the revenues gained from POGO operations.
The Senate is currently investigating $447 million that was declared by individuals when they entered the Philippines from September 2019 to February 2020. Any individual can bring in any amount of money into the Philippines as long as they declare it upon arrivial.
Authorities believe that these funds were used for terrorism, money laundering, ilegal POGO activities, and possibly drug trafficking.
“Kami rin nagtataka kung saan ginagamit ito kasi kapag pinasok mo rito sa bansa, syempre may paggagamitan ka. Ginagawang labandera ang ating banking system. Lahat po iyan covered – casino, register of deed, banks, moneychangers. Sa buong mundo, ito yung sinusunod nilang sistem na nanggagaling sa FATF (Financial Action Task Force),” said Drilon.
