The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will continue to crack down on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) after December 31, says Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. In a DILG media release, he promised that by 2025, “he would be able to categorically say that the Philippines is POGO-free.”
“Ganito iyan, two parts iyan: all licenses are cancelled — so POGO-free tayo; guerilla operations will flourish but we will go after them,” Remulla said in a press briefing at the Malacañang. “As per the President’s instructions, we will make it very difficult for them until they say that it is no longer worth operating in the Philippines.”
Remulla also said that the DILG is working with the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, and local government units to “scour potential areas” for POGO activity. Local chief executives will have to report suspicious activities about the potential establishment of POGOs in their areas, Remulla said.
“They are enjoined to report immediately sa amin para malaman namin at makagawa kami ng aksiyon.” He said local chiefs should watch out for telltale signs of POGO establishments such as a spike in bandwidth use and suspicious people congregating in houses not registered as businesses.
According to Remulla, illegal POGOs may also operate in the guise of legitimate businesses like restaurants and resorts. “Some Filipinos have learned to set up their own POGO firms. These are smaller in scale,” he said.
No More POGOs Come 2025
In Remulla’s first week as Interior Secretary in October, he vowed to personally shut down the POGO hub at the Island Cove Resort in Kawit, Cavite. On December 17, Tuesday, he visited the site for inspection, hung the notice of foreclosure, and padlocked the premises. He was accompanied by PNP Chief Police General Rommel Marbil, Cavite Governor Athena Tolentino, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman Alejandro Tengco.
Tengco clarified that after the POGO licenses were revoked, they could no longer be renewed. “Wala pong mayroon lisensiya pag-tungtong po ng January 1, 2025… So, kung mayroon pa diyang nagsasabi na sila ay nagpapatuloy na maghanapbuhay o (magconduct) ng operation dahil mayroon silang valid PAGCOR license, hindi po totoo ‘yon,” he said.
All POGO licenses were cancelled on December 15, with operations expected to shut down completely by the year-end deadline, which was set by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in his 2024 State of the Nation Address and Executive Order No. 74 back in July.
