Welcome exodus

POGOs are allegedly leaving the country initiated by a Macau-based group due to the issue of paying taxes. POGOs owe the government around fifty billion pesos for the franchise and other taxes. Obviously, these companies cannot resolve or simply do not want to settle their tax obligations and would rather close shop and leave. Since the government is in dire need of revenue to continue the fight against COVID-19, they probably demanded the taxes be settled. What were these POGOs thinking? Were they thinking other revenues like rents their employees were paying for housing as well as rents paid by the businesses that opened to service Chinese nationals like restaurants were enough to placate the government?

What would the government now do in terms of collecting the billions of pesos these companies owe the country? If they couldn't compel them to pay up while still in the country, how much more difficult would it be to collect if they have already left? Will they promise to pay? Will the government once again bend over backwards and accept these promises? Or will they prevent them from leaving the country unless they pay up? I wouldn't be surprised if they are allowed to leave without settling. We wouldn't want to anger our new best friend, right?

Some lawmakers are happy the POGOs are leaving. Good riddance even. They should take with them all the crimes associated with these POGOs such as kidnapping-for-ransom, prostitution, trafficking as well as the illegally set-up clinics that treated Chinese COVID-19 patients complete with illegally entered drugs. The location of the POGOs became a security issue as well as they seemed to encircle military camps in the city.

I wouldn't be surprised if the POGOs thought they could do as they please because of President Duterte's closeness to China. That seems to be the case with their non-payment of taxes. Since we would be receiving so much aid from China, if we indeed have, then the payment of these taxes would be waived or set aside. I also wonder why the government allowed the collection of taxes to go unchecked all these years. It would be interesting to find out if they also have unpaid rent on the houses and business locations they rented. Remember the restaurants that serve Chinese nationals only with their Chinese only menus?

The Department of Finance has always been the apologist of these POGOs stating their existence was helping the country. How will they now go after the billions the country could benefit from? It now seems a huge mistake allowing the POGOs in the country. Even their exodus, a welcome development, is still posing problems. What does their ambassador have to say about all this? Will he place the blame again on Filipinos, which is always the case when dealing with the Chinese. So much for being a friend.