The Philippines’ moves to break down the offshore gaming industry has seen operators break into smaller groups that the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) is branding “guerrilla POGOs”.
Details of these groups, which are said to be relocating to regional locations like the Visayas and Mindanao and disguising themselves as BPOs (Business Process Outsourcing services), were outlined by PAOCC director Winnie Quidato during a senate hearing on Tuesday.
This follows an Executive Order issued by Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr earlier this month requiring all POGOs and affiliated companies be completely wound down by 31 December 2024.
“The big POGO companies that we have raided before or that were existing before, we see them breaking down into smaller groups. Some are even branding themselves now as BPOs,” Quidato said.
“It’s just like what we found in Parañaque when we raided the Parañaque group, we discovered in a subdivision that they have occupied 45 houses within the subdivision. That’s what’s happening now). They are breaking down into smaller groups.”
Quidato added that most of these guerrilla POGOs have begun operating in the Visayas and Mindanao because so much effort in shutting down POGOs has been focused on Luzon, and warned that this posed a threat to the BPO sector.
“The POGO name has become unpleasant. Hopefully, this will not happen to BPOs,” he said.
Quidato also noted that there had been an increase in flights between Luzon and the Visayas from travellers known to have been linked to POGOs.
“We’ve been monitoring those who used to work for POGOs, and we’ve observed that some only change their names at the SEC (Securities Exchange) and pretend to be BPO,” he explained.
RelatedPosts
