MANILA, Philippines – Suportado ni Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile nitong Miyerkules, Hulyo 31 ang desisyon ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na ipagbawal ang Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) sa bansa.
“If I were the President, I agree with what he said, I will kick out POGO in this country,” sinabi ni Enrile sa sidelines ng pagdinig ng Kamara sa POGO operations.
“POGO is a money laundering operation,” dagdag pa ni Enrile.
Sa kabila nito, hindi naman direktang sumagot si Enrile sa tanong kung kinonsulta siya ni Marcos kaugnay sa desisyon na ipagbawal ang POGO.
Ayon kay Enrile, hindi niya naisip ang patungkol sa POGO nang isinulong niya ang paglikha ng Cagayan Special Economic Zone.
“I do not know anything about POGO. That was never in my mind when I crafted Republic Act 7922. In fact, when I revised the PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) charter, POGO was never in my mind or in the mind of any legislator,” ani Enrile.
Nang tanungin naman kaugnay sa Executive Order 13 ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte na nagbibigay ng lisensya sa gambling at online gaming facilities sa bansa, sinabi ni Enrile na ito ay “ill-advised.”
“They did not study it well. My God! POGO was banned by Cambodia, banned by many countries in Central Asia, and we adopted it here. And why is it that until now, you have POGOs in Bamban (Tarlac) and Porac (Pampanga) and without being able to control them? Is that a wise decision, wise activity?” aniya.
Sa pagdinig, sinabi ng anak ni Enrile na si Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) administrator Katrina Ponce Enrile na ang CEZA ay walang POGO licensees at hindi sangkot sa anumang POGO-related crimes.
Sinabi pa nito na nawalan ng mga kliyente ang CEZA mula nang payagan ni Duterte ang POGO operations.
“There are no POGOs in CEZA. There never was and there never will be,” aniya pa. RNT/JGC
