POGOs need to settle tax liabilities, fees before being allowed to resume operations — PAGCOR

Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) licensees and service providers need to settle their tax liabilities and regulatory fees with the government before they are allowed to partially reopen, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) said Monday.

Senior Offshore Gaming Officer Diane Erica Jogno said POGOs need to present a certificate of registration with the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and a document attesting they no do not have any tax liabilities as of March 2020.

"Very strict po kami sa requirement na ito, na ma-settle po nila yung kanila pa pong remaining na unpaid taxes with BIR," Jogno said at the Laging Handa briefing.

She added that POGOs likewise need to update the payment of their regulatory fees and pay a minimum guarantee fee for April even if they did not operate that month.

The official maintained that POGOs are considered a form of business process outsourcing (BPO) since they perform subcontracted support work like customer service for operators and players located outside the country.

POGOs will partially reopen amid the enhanced community quarantine that remains enforced over Metro Manila and several other areas at high-risk of COVID-19 transmission, drawing opposition from a number of officials.

The organization of information technology-business process management companies in the Philippines has also said they do not consider POGOs as BPOs.

PAGCOR Assistant Vice President Arnold Salvosa, for his part, said POGOs are a "good source of revenue" for the government, having paid billions of pesos in taxes and license fees last year.

PAGCOR chair Andrea Domingo earlier said the partial reopening is intended to help the government generate funds to address the pandemic.

Salvosa reiterated at the livestreamed briefing that only 30% of POGOs' manpower will be allowed to physically report to worksites, where physical distancing and sanitation measures should be in place.

The rest of the POGO workers will be working from home, he said.

He also said workers who show signs of illness will not be allowed to go to work, and that only those who test negative for COVID-19 will be allowed to report. He said companies should provide a shuttle service for their employees.

Worksites should have isolation rooms, he said.

The Accredited Service Providers Association of PAGCOR, a group of online gaming service providers, said last week that none of their workers have tested positive for COVID-19. — RSJ, GMA News