MANILA, Philippines – Makapagbibigay ng sapat na panahon ang iginawad na five-month deadline para sa lahat ng Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) na matukoy ng Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) ang mga big boss, major players at foreign employees ng naturang industriya.
“This five-month period provides ample time not only to identify the bosses, but more importantly, this will be enough to create a database of all foreign nationals working in these companies,” saad sa pahayag ni PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz nitong Lunes ng gabi, Hulyo 22.
“This database is crucial to ensure that all POGO workers will be subsequently deported to their countries of origin,” dagdag niya.
Ito ay kasunod ng anunsyo ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na bawal na sa bansa ang lahat ng mga POGO.
Inatasan ni Marcos ang Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) na siguruhing itinigil na ang operasyon ng mga ito sa pagtatapos ng taon.
Matatandaan na bago ang anunsyo ng Pangulo sa POGO ban sa kanyang ikatlong State of the Nation Address, nagkaroon ng malalaking raid sa illegal POGOs partikular na sa Bamban, Tarlac at Porac, Pampanga.
Samantala, sinabi ni Cruz na makikipag-ugnayan ang PAOCC sa Department of Justice Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (DOJ-IACAT), Bureau of Immigration, Anti-Money Laundering Council, Philippine National Police, at National Bureau of Investigation para ipatupad ang pagbabawal sa mga POGO.
“Rest assured that PAOCC, and the other law enforcement agencies will continue to neutralize the scam farms that are still operating,” ayon sa opisyal.
“More earnestly, PAOCC and its partner agencies will strive to haul these foreign criminals and their local enablers to jail to pay for their crimes,” dagdag pa ni Cruz. RNT/JGC
