Government agencies adopt rules on POGO ban

MANILA, Philippines — An inter-agency standard operating procedure (SOP) was signed yesterday to prevent the “resurrection in a different form” of Philippine offshore gaming operators or POGOs, according to Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.

Recto led the signing of the SOP on the implementation of Executive Order 74 at Malacañang. EO 74 was issued by President Marcos on Nov. 4, 2024 banning POGOs.

The SOP also implements Republic Act 12312 or the POGO Ban Act.

Recto noted that the SOP merged 15 other laws and department orders into “one omnibus action plan.”

The SOP establishes “a unified, legally compliant workflow to address POGO and illegal gambling licensees and related crimes, from intelligence gathering through operations, evidence handling, prosecution, asset preservation.”

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission or PAOCC, chaired by the executive secretary, will serve as the principal coordinating agency. The Department of Justice will embed prosecutors early in the case buildup to improve case quality and certainty of conviction.

Also being mobilized are the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Securities and Exchange Commission for financial and corporate intelligence on “the fruits of the illicit activities,” Recto said.

The SOP also addresses the management and maintenance of seized POGO assets, he added.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development, on the other hand, is tasked to help in providing temporary shelter for victims, non-criminalization of trafficked persons and access to witness protection.

Recto said the SOPs were not drawn from thin air, but borne of hard-earned lessons from the field and forged with the expertise of partners from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

“They come at a crucial time, because POGOs are an ever-evolving menace, deeply enmeshed in transnational crime networks and all too capable of reappearing under new names, new fronts and new methods each time they are struck, unless government remains vigilant, coordinated and relentless,” Recto said.

Recto said guidelines would also “clean up the mess the social scourge left behind, from trafficked people who need help, to disposal of buildings in sprawling scam cities.”

“Since it was handed down almost two years ago, the presidential directive has been carried out with speed, resolve and boldness,” Recto said.