Hontiveros hopes for total shutdown of POGOs under newly issued ban procedures

Senator Risa Hontiveros is hoping for the full dismantling of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) networks following the signing of the Inter-Agency Standard Operating Procedures implementing Republic Act No. 12312, or the Anti-POGO Act.

Hontiveros said she hopes it paves the way for the end of POGOs nationwide, adding that illegal operations tied to the industry remain active despite existing orders.

The newly released procedures are meant to unify enforcement across agencies, from intelligence gathering and operations to evidence handling, prosecution, asset preservation and victim protection.

Hontiveros said the campaign cannot stop at shutting down hubs and must target the entire structure behind them. “The SOP must go after that entire architecture, and the whole of government must not stop until the entire structure comes down. Hunt down the operators, protectors, recruiters, financiers, and all those who allowed this system,” she said.

She warned that the harm continues even after the ban. “Their networks are still operating. Scammers are still thriving. There are still many Filipino victims of human trafficking going to compounds abroad,” she added.

Hontiveros said the hubs served as fronts for a wider system tied to human trafficking, scam operations, extortion, illegal detention and money laundering, adding that the network has not yet been fully dismantled.

The SOP puts key agencies into one enforcement track, including the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, Department of Justice, Anti-Money Laundering Council, Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Social Welfare and Development, covering case buildup, financial tracking and victim protection.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto presided over the signing and said the directive would be enforced with “speed, resolve, and coordination.”