February 4, 2025
MANILA – A bill to institutionalize the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) has been approved by the House of Representatives on second reading.
During the session on Monday, House Bill No. 10987 — a consolidation of five similar bills — was approved via viva voce or via voice voting.
If enacted, conducting and offering offshore gaming operators along with the following activities will be prohibited:
- Facilitating offshore gaming through any means or device
- Accepting any form of betting for offshore gaming operations
- Operating as a service provider of any component of offshore gaming operations
- Constructing or maintain any operation hub or a structural complex that houses the operations, and logistical, administrative and support services for offshore gaming
- Establishing any gaming laboratory or provide services as a gaming laboratory
- Possessing any offshore gaming paraphernalia
- Aiding, protect or abet the conduct of any of the above-mentioned acts
The approval of the bill on second reading came over two months after the House committee on games and amusements gave the nod to the committee report.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. during his third State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July 2024 announced that all Pogos are banned due to the social costs.
Despite Marcos’ declaration, several House members, including no less than Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez himself deemed it necessary to still investigate illegal activities surrounding Pogos, and the filing of bills that would ban the same.
After Marcos’ Sona, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and Leyte 4th District Rep. Richard Gomez separately said that investigations of illegal activities linked to Pogos would continue, as there is a need to seek accountability from those behind these possible crimes.
Illegal activities linked to Pogos was one of the topics investigated by the House’s quad committee, along with extrajudicial killings in the past administration’s drug war, and the illicit drug trade.
Over the past few years, several Pogo hubs — like the one in Porac, Pampanga, and Bamban, Tarlac — were raided due to reports of kidnapping, illegal detention, human trafficking, prostitution, and even arbitrary killing.