Philippine lawmaker pushes for Anti-POGO Act; regional cooperation in battling illegal online gaming

Source: Shutterstock

Philippine Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros has resumed her stance on passing the Anti-POGO Act which seeks to strengthen the existing full ban on POGOs which came into force on 1 January 2025.

Hontiveros proposes a more stringent approach to preventing the re-emergence of illegal POGO-like operations both in the Philippines and in the wider region, citing the possibility of rejecting deportation as a punishment for foreign nationals caught in such operations.

Article continues below ad

According to the Philippine News Agency, Hontiveros stressed the importance and urgency of a regional approach to dismantling POGOs to prevent post-ban scam operations, which are still posing a problem, despite the recent crackdown.

Hontiveros suggested the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should cooperate to crack down on rising international online gaming schemes, including working with western governments in the US, Australia, and Europe, which she said were also victims of POGO-like operations.

“POGOs are not just a local menace – they are part of a transnational web of criminality. ASEAN must take the lead in building a code of conduct to dismantle scam hubs, rescue trafficking victims, and hold criminals accountable,” she said.

In addition, Hontiveros acknowledges that not all POGO workers are criminals, referencing the Bali Process, an international forum used to share issues related to people smuggling and human trafficking, which she says must be enhanced.

“Governments must recognize trafficked workers as victims – not illegal migrants or criminals. A transnational problem requires a transnational response,” she added.

POGOs, or Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations, were launched by the administration of president Rodrigo Duterte in 2016.

Since then, they have become widely entangled in organized criminal activities such as scam hubs, money laundering, drugs and people trafficking. As a result, the current administration banned any new POGOs from 22 July 2024, and on that day announced that then-existing POGOs would be banned from 1 January 2025.