Cartoon by: James Gamboa and Jairus Kristan Samudio
Published by: John Kurt Gabriel Reyes
Date Published: August 10, 2024
Time Published: 6:40 PM
We are all aware that corruption and taking advantage of the law have consequences, and partaking in illegal activities will result in negative outcomes. “All bad things must come to an end." During his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced an immediate full shutdown of Philippine offshore gaming operators, or POGO, on Monday, July 22, 2024 [1].
POGO is a Chinese-operated criminal hub that hires and caters to foreigners to work illegally and is linked to a variety of criminal activities, including human trafficking, financial fraud, murder, torture, and even kidnapping [2]. These reported criminal activities are horrible already, but the fact that POGO managed to operate for a long time despite this is much more concerning. The question is, how and who allowed these illegal operations to begin with?
It is possible that, due to political connections, POGO managed to run way back in 2003. Alice Guo, the suspended mayor of Bamban, Tarlac, is proof of this. She is a suspected Chinese national accused of facilitating illegal POGO activities [3]. She is just one of many rotten politicians, proving how powerful, greedy, and corrupt public officials can become, and because of this type of protection, POGO remained in business.
In addition to this, the Senate believes that foreign syndicates have been funding POGO and are joining forces with the local politicians [4]. POGO would not be able to do all of this and would have been caught long ago without the funds and protection from someone, so there has to be a bigger person behind this, someone with power, connections, and a position within the government.
Furthermore, let’s not ignore the possibility that this is related to the ongoing geopolitical tension between the Philippines and China. It is very alarming the fact that the authorities were unaware that there are Chinese-operated illegal activities as well as a public official with Chinese nationality suspected of being a spy is concerning, especially given the ongoing territorial dispute between the aforementioned countries.
Once the investigation is conducted appropriately, some politicians linked to this case might emerge during the process. To hold those responsible accountable, authorities should show no mercy in the investigation of those who enable and benefit from POGO's criminal activities. This should serve as a wake-up call to the public and the government, revealing that there are existing criminal organizations that are protected by some corrupt politicians. They should begin to tighten their security, conduct thorough investigations, and report irregularities and suspicious activity. It is a very sensitive issue, but to prevent further unlawful activities, they should unmask every person linked to this case, whether they are public officials who allowed all of this to occur. We should all remember that acting sooner rather than later is the best way to avoid future regrets. Aside from taking an action and developing a solution, identifying the root of the problem is a must.
REFERENCES:
[1] Lema, V. (2024, July 23). Filipinos online welcome Marcos’ POGO ban in SONA 2024. RAPPLER. https://www.rappler.com/philippines/marcos-jr-filipinos-online-reactions-sona-2024/
[2] Rocamora, J. A. (2024, July 25). China welcomes banning of POGO. Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1229853
[3] Tolentino, A., & Tolentino, A. (2024, July 24). Alice Guo ang peg: Suspected Chinese owns majority of land at raided POGO hub - PAOCC. POLITIKO - News Philippine Politics. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://politiko.com.ph/2024/07/24/alice-guo-ang-peg-suspected-chinese-owns-majority-of-land-at-raided-pogo-hub-paocc/politiko-lokal/&usg=AOvVaw0KUfDmBujJmqLmINSgEx-V&cs=1&hl=en-GB
[4] De Villa Tina G Santos, K. (2024, June 7). Foreign crime rings, local pols backing Pogos — Gatchalian. INQUIRER.net. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1949142/foreign-crime-rings-local-pols-backing-pogos-gatchalian
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