LOCAL Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla has directed local chief executives to conduct inspections amid reports that illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogo) continue to operate in the guise of legitimate businesses such as restaurants and resorts.
Facing the Commission on Appointments (CA) for the confirmation of his ad interim appointment, Remulla was asked by Senator Risa Hontiveros about his plans to ensure that there will be no more Pogos in the country by the end of the year as ordered by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The DILG has earlier ordered local government units to use their visitorial powers to crack the whip of illegal Pogos, also tagged as “scam farms” in the country.
“The biggest disguise that they are going through now, they are applying for resorts and restaurants so it is the power of the mayor to visit the establishments to make sure that what is going on is exactly what is intended,” said Remulla.
“I think the last case in Lapu-Lapu showed very clear that when the PAOCC raided the premises, the restaurant, and the hotel and the bar were just a front and then it was a guerilla operation. I believe it transferred the one in Porac and hid there in Lapu-Lapu. So it is really up to a lot of the mayors that when they issue occupancy permits, they have to inspect the premises and make sure that what it is intended for is what’s happening,” he added.
Remulla said the intelligence community of the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) can be tapped to investigate businesses being used as fronts for scam hubs without applying for business permits.
Marcos earlier issued Executive Order 74 in a bid to put a stop on Pogo operations in the country amid the alleged involvement in illegal activities such as human trafficking, scam, kidnapping and even murder.
During the Senate plenary deliberations on the proposed 2025 budget of the Department of Information and Communications and Technology (DICT), Hontiveros raised concern over the alarming trend that instead of using Pogos as regulatory cover, guerilla scam operations are now emerging, which are even harder to detect.
She urged the Cybercrime Investigation Coordinating Center to step up in order to stop such illegal operations. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)
