Senate probe vs. POGOs' quarantine exception sought

Minority Senators Risa Hontiveros and Francis Pangilinan called for a Senate inquiry in aid of legislation into the partial resumption of operations of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).

They filed Senate Resolution No. 396 on Thursday which aims to look into the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation's (PAGCOR) decision to allow the ''exception" in favor of the industry despite the ongoing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to COVID-19.

The Accredited Service Providers of PAGCOR (ASPAP) welcomed the inquiry, saying it would be an opportunity to clear concerns on POGO operations.

"PAGCOR's actuations in lobbying for an exception in favor of the POGO industry threaten to unduly put the health and well-being of the Filipino people at risk by undermining the ECQ," Hontiveros and Pangilinan said in a statement.

"Even going by the official estimate, allowing more than 50,000 workers in the online gambling industry to return to work represents a substantial exception to the ECQ rules," they added.

The government allowed the partial reopening of POGOs even amid the strict quarantine protocols being implemented due to the pandemic, provided that only 30% of the total workforce will be allowed to report for work they follow precautionary measures. 

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ASPAP on Friday welcomed the senators' call for a Senate inquiry into the partial reopening of POGOs amid the health crisis.

In a statement, the group's spokesperson lawyer Margarita Gutierrez said the proposed Senate probe is “an opportunity to clear the concerns raised and clarify any disinformation regarding the matter.”

ASPAP assured the public that it will be observing all protocols established under the ECQ and that the safety of everyone is a top priority.

Gutierrez said that the group will cooperate with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and other relevant agencies in tackling pertinent and relevant information on the matter.

“We wish to reassure our legislators and the public that resumption of POGO operations would not undermine the ECQ or pose unnecessary health risk to the community,” she said.

“Aside from stringent health and safety protocols imposed as prerequisite to reopening, only 30% of the workforce mostly Filipinos, who must test negative for COVID-19, are allowed to return to work,” she added.

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Hontiveros also expressed concern over full-page newspaper advertisements regarding POGOs earlier this week.

The advertisement includes the letterhead of the PAGCOR. It was titled "The Truth About POGO: A Primer."

Senator Leila De Lima also raised an eyebrow on the said advertisement.

"What these pro-POGO public functionaries failed to address is this simple, fundamental question–why are these POGOs being recognized and extolled here, and given the status and perks of a legitimate enterprise, when they are outlawed in their country of origin? Where is the logic and the morality of it all? This legal and social anomaly is unacceptable," De Lima said.

"We also need to ask, and aggressively seek for the answer to this – who are the unseen Filipino hands behind these Chinese POGOs? Who are these traitors?" she added. —LDF, GMA News