A survey exploring how Filipinos feel about their country’s controversial POGO (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) industry has found that a majority believe it to be harmful.
Details of the Pulse Asia survey, conducted from 27 November to 1 December last year, were made public by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Thursday, with 58% of those surveyed believing POGOs to be harmful and only 19% claiming they are beneficial.
Gatchalian, a staunch opponent of POGOs, has been particularly vocal this week, having already outlined concerns on how licensed online operators are being audited on revenue and tax payments and whether gaming regulator PAGCOR is doing enough to crack down on rogue companies.
On Thursday he pressed further, calling for the opinions of locals to be taken into consideration when lawmakers draft a report on the economic and social impact of POGOs in the Philippines.
“The survey results are an important piece of data that we will take into consideration as the data represents the sentiments of our people and provides relevant insights on the issue at hand,” Gatchalian said, as reported by Philippine News Agency.
According to the survey results, the main reason for stating that POGOs are damaging was the proliferation of vices at 67%, followed by an increase in POGO-related crime incidents involving Chinese nationals at 57%, tax evasion at 43%, increasing number of Chinese nationals employed by POGOs at 43%, no additional opportunities given to Filipinos at 33%, and increasing cost of rent, residential, or business properties at 22%.
“The majority of Filipinos believe that the presence of POGOs in the Philippines is harmful to the country,” Gatchalian said.
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