Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) are now officially banned following a decree by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr in July this year. Gambling regulator PAGCOR has until the end of the year to put that into action and get rid of all POGOs, and it is relying partly on the public to make that happen.

Robert Ace Barbers urged members of the public to flush out any illegal POGO workers

Surigao del Norte 2^nd District Representative Robert Ace Barbers urged members of the public to flush out any illegal POGO workers hiding among them. He advised them to do this by using “various social media platforms” or reporting “directly to concerned local government units, immigration and law enforcement units.”

More than 400 POGOs operate in the country, providing jobs for tens of thousands of people. Many of these people are Chinese nationals. The POGOs also tend to focus their efforts on customers in China, a country where gambling is largely illegal other than in Macau. This has prompted the Chinese government to urge its Asian neighbor to clamp down on the operations.

Deputy Speaker David Suarez claimed that the number of SMS scams has decreased drastically since the POGO ban was implemented. This, he believes, proves they were hubs for criminal activity.