MANILA — Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has labeled former President Rodrigo Duterte’s order on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) as “ill-advised.”
Duterte’s Executive Order 13 states that nothing “shall prohibit the duly licensed online gambling operator from allowing the participation of persons physically located outside Philippine territory.”
“It was 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,” Enrile told reporters in an interview on Wednesday.
“Why is it that until now, you have POGOs in Bamban and Porac without being able to control them? Is that a wise decision?” he added.
Enrile did not disclose whether President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. consulted him about the order to ban POGOs in the country, but he expressed support for Marcos Jr.’s decision.
“If I were the president… I would kick out POGOs in this country. POGO is a money laundering operation,” Enrile said.
Enrile and his daughter, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) Administrator and CEO Katrina Ponce Enrile, attended the joint house panel hearing on crimes linked to illegal POGOs on Wednesday.
The CEZA administrator asserted that there are no POGOs in Cagayan’s economic zone.
“Wala pong POGOs sa CEZA. There never was and there never will be. Unlike PAGCOR’s POGO, CEZA doesn’t have any hubs… There has not been a single instance of crimes associated with POGOs under CEZA’s watch,” she said.
Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque was also present at the House hearing. He admitted to accompanying Cassandra Li Ong, a representative of a company servicing POGOs like Lucky South 99, to PAGCOR, but clarified it was not for a license renewal request but to reschedule payment of arrears worth $500,000.
Roque also acknowledged having an interest in the corporation that owns a house in Benguet where two POGO-linked foreigners were arrested, but denied knowing the individuals involved.
“With this development, we will include Former Spokesperson Harry Roque in our investigation, but we need documents from all the agencies involved to prove the ownership of the property,” said PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz.
“It seems your name always crops up. First with Cassandra Li Ong, and now this raid at your house… It raises public and committee suspicions that you might be involved in these illegal activities,” said Surigao del Sur 2nd District Representative Johnny Pimentel.
“That’s not right. I don’t think there’s any basis for saying that. Just because I am providing legal services, that’s not grounds for criminal liability unless illegal acts are performed,” Roque replied.
The joint House panel handed over a list of illegal POGOs and their details to the League of Cities of the Philippines and the League of Municipalities of the Philippines to ensure their shutdown. The groups committed to processing the documents and taking action.
The joint committee also issued a subpoena for Ong.