Gatchalian says gov’t needs to close POGOs due to rising crimes

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Win Gatchalian is calling for the immediate closure of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, saying this will help maintain peace and order and sustain economic growth. He made the call in a Chairman’s Re- port released by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means which conducted public hearings on the socio-economic benefits of POGO operations in the country following numerous reports of crimes attributed to the industry.

Specifically, he urged for “the adoption of a resolution urging the executive department to immediately ban all POGO operations in the country to uphold the safety of the Filipino people and to sustain the path to growth and development consistent with the administration’s economic reforms.

Gatchalian also urged Congress to pass legislation that would separate the functions of regulation from operation in Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corpora- tion’s (PAGCOR) charter. He said a new entity should be created to perform solely regulatory functions, authorization, and licensing of games of chance and other forms of gambling, while PAGCOR will continue solely as a gambling operator. He also urged the labor department to look for alternative employment placements for Filipino nationals employed by POGOs.

During the meeting, Sun did not delve into details regarding the issues that the Philippines is currently raising in connection with the West Philippine Sea. But the Chinese official pointed out that China and the Philippines, despite their differences, should talk like friends in accordance with the consensus reached by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and President Xi during their meeting in Beijing last January.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meanwhile said that the Board of Investments (BOI) has been monitoring 90 active investment leads from Chinese companies across multiple sectors following his state visit to China back in January.

China ‘warns’ US vessel near Paracel Islands

THE Chinese military said it had tracked a US warship in the South China Sea on Thursday and “warned it to leave” waters claimed by Beijing.

The Southern Theater Command of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said the USS Milius, a guided missile destroyer, on Thursday entered waters around the Paracel Islands, which are also claimed by Vietnam.

It further said the USS Milius illegally encroached into China’s territorial waters, without the consent of the government, undermining peace and stability in the area.

However, the US Navy described the report as false and debunked Chinese claims that the US destroyer was driven out from waters around the contested islands after it “illegally” entered the area.

China earlier intensified its “word war” with the US as Beijing warned the Philippines and other countries in the Indo-Pacific to be wary of what it considered as Washington’s coercive actions purportedly to advance its own interest in the region.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin made the statement after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced that the new Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites, where US troops would have access to, would spread across the Philippines. Rey E. Requejo