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While the senator says he supports the Marcos administration’s ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators, he voted to legitimize their operations in the Philippines in 2021
Claim: Senator Bong Go is against Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
Rating: MISSING CONTEXT
Why we fact-checked this: The X (formerly Twitter) post has garnered over 415 likes, 1,500 reposts and quotes, 1,200 replies, and 1.4 million views, as of writing. The senator posted the claim on his personal X account on September 9.
The post says, “Ako po mismo noon pa against po ako sa POGO pag-apektado na po ang peace and order. For the record, ayaw ko talaga ng POGO.”
(Even before, I was against POGOs when peace and order is already affected. For the record, I really don’t like POGOs.)
Go also made the claim during the hearing on illegal POGO activities led by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality on Monday, September 9.
The facts: While Go backed the Marcos administration’s move last July to ban POGOs, the senator has previously expressed support for POGOs and is alleged to have ties to POGO money during the bloody war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Voted in favor: Go was one of 17 senators who voted in favor of Republic Act No. 11590, the law taxing POGO operations. It was signed into law by the Duterte administration on September 22, 2021.
Only Senator Risa Hontiveros and then-senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Frank Drilon opposed the measure.
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POGOs are online gambling companies based in the Philippines that offer services to customers abroad, particularly Chinese clients. These firms are licensed and regulated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to operate legally.
While deemed to be beneficial to the country’s economy, POGOs are infamously linked to various crimes, including human trafficking, prostitution, money laundering, and tax evasion.
Did not sign to phase out: In March 2023, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who heads the Senate committee on ways and means, urged the Marcos administration to ban POGOs to help maintain peace and order. In his chairman’s report, Gatchalian cited the risks of POGOs’ continued operations in the Philippines. (READ: [The Slingshot] Rodrigo Duterte created the POGO crimes and Alice Guo)
In September 2023, the Senate panel officially filed the recommendation through Committee Report No. 136 to recommend the immediate expulsion of POGOs. Gatchalian and nine other senators signed the report. Go was not among the signatories.
Go on POGO during Marcos admin: In his third State of the Nation Address on July 22, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the complete ban on POGOs and instructed PAGCOR to cease POGO operations by the end of 2024. (READ: Which POGOs are affected by Marcos’ ban?)
Two days after Marcos’ announcement, Go issued a press release expressing his support for the POGO ban. The senator acknowledged the significant revenue and job contributions of the POGO industry, but said Filipinos’ security must be prioritized. He also said the administration should “not be selective” with the POGO ban.
Alleged ties to POGO cash rewards: During a House mega panel hearing on August 28, Police Lieutenant Colonel Jovie Espenido named Go as a channel of the alleged P20,000 cash reward per kill given to cops under Duterte’s drug war. This money was allegedly sourced from POGOs and small town lotteries. Go denounced Espenido’s testimony as malicious and slanderous, asserting that he never managed any funds associated with the drug war and with POGOs. – Mariamne Yasmin Yap/Rappler.com
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Mariamne Yasmin Yap is a Rappler volunteer. She is a third year journalism student at the University of Santo Tomas.
