MANILA: Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros is calling for an immediate ban on the operation of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operation (POGO) in the country, saying human trafficking is part of its business model. Hontiveros made the statement during her inspection Wednesday, together with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, of a POGO firm in Bamban, Tarlac which was raided for human trafficking and illegal detention. 'Ginagamit talaga bilang legal cover ang POGO ng mga sindikatong scammer. At kahit pa ligal na POGO, hindi ikinaganda ng Pilipinas ang pag-welcome sa mga sugalang ito (Scammer syndicates use POGO as legal cover. And even POGOs are legal, these gambling hubs never made the Philippines any better)," she said. "Simula pa lang, nakita na natin na mas pinalala lang ng mga POGO ang mga sakit ng ating lipunan (From the start, that POGOs just worsened the problems of our society),' she added. During the inspection, the senators were informed by the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission that six Chinese fugitives running love scams and cryptocurrency investment scams were found in the premises. Phones hanging on metal racks were also found, together with numerous SIM cards, presumably used to execute fraudulent transactions. Hontiveros saw that the alleged POGO hub in Bamban, similar to other scam facilities previously raided, also had offices outfitted with computer workstations, along with instructional guides and scripts used in love scams and crypto schemes. She filed on Tuesday Senate Resolution No. 1001, seeking to start a probe into foreigners using falsified documents to acquire Filipino citizenship. She cited in the resolution how findings of the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality revealed that the Visa Upon Arrival scheme was abused by Chinese POGO workers who wanted to enter the Philippines unchecked. Source: Philippines News Agency
