Sen. Hontiveros reiterates need for Pres. Marcos to totally ban POGO

By Marivir Montebon

New York – Opposition senator Risa Hontiveros reiterated the urgency for President Marcos to close all Philippine Overseas Gaming Operator (POGO) hubs considering its impact on labor trafficking, money laundering, wage violations, and public safety.

Sen. Hontiveros in NYC: At the Philippine gala of the Philippine Independence Day Council at the Da Mikelle Palazzo and at a pressconference in Manhattan.

“Once the executive branch takes action, it will apply to all POGO operations in the country,” she said during a press conference with Filipino community press here on June 9, Sunday, in a diner at the upper east side of Manhattan.

Hontiveros, 58, graced the New York celebration of the 126th Philippine Independence Day and met with Filipinos in the US. Some Filipino groups here have encouraged Hontiveros to continue ‘the good fight.’

The Independence Day celebrations in NYC traditionally begins on the first Sunday of June, organized by the Philippine Independence Day Council and the Consulate General in New York. She was also a special guest at last year’s celebration.

Hontiveros, who is part of the Senate committee on Economic Affairs, has signed and submitted a report to Malacanang recommending the banning of POGO in the Philippines. She ascertained that the Committee on Women, which she leads, will sign the report to ban POGO after the current Senate committee investigation on the Bamban hub in Tarlac.

Two POGO hubs in Bamban, the Hongsheng Gaming Technology Incorporated and Zun Yuan Technology, were raided by the government following complaints of human trafficking and love scams. Incumbent mayor Alice Guo is also being investigated for her alleged involvement in the business and her questionable life and educational background. Earlier on, Guo denied in public being a spy for the interest of China.  

“Once enacted into law or when the Executive branch acts, all POGO operations anywhere in the Philippines will be banned,” Hontiveros explained.

As the Senate continues its probe, its operations are temporarily halted. The POGO appears to have been ushered in by Marcos’s predecessor, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.  

Hontiveros also led the probe on alleged sexual assault and human trafficking on religious leader Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, a known Duterte ally and friend.

“This is not about religious persecution. Anyone is bound to follow the laws of our land,” she explained. Quiboloy, believed to be in the Philippines, faces an arrest for these charges. In the US, Quiboloy is wanted by the FBI for labor and sex trafficking, sex trafficking of children, and bulk cash smuggling.

Hontiveros with some members of the Filipino press in NYC.

With the tough nature of the investigations on economic and political espionage, sexual assault, and human trafficking, Hontiveros was asked how she copes with the pressure.

“I cope by working harder. If I’ve been trolled or red-tagged, it only means I am doing a good job,” Hontiveros said.

She was concerned at how digital trolling has become a weapon for harassment and bullying, particularly in the Philippines. It is sad, she said, that trolling has become an income source for many Filipinos. Hontiveros, however, vowed to continue to push for reforms and public accountability. #