Corruption and misuse of power are causing more illegal offshore gambling in the country, a church official said.
Archbishop Jose Lazo of Jaro pointed out that the rise of illegal Philippine offshore gambling operators, or POGOs, reflect a mentality that “if you have money or influence, whatever you want, you get.”
“Looking at our own country, this sounds familiar. Like the POGOs that we have, hundreds of them in the country, not even half are registered. And they continue to operate,” Lazo said.
According to him, any illegal activities will not last without protectors shielding them.
“Of course, they can only get that with accomplices. You cannot get in the country, you cannot operate, if there will be no accomplices to be with you,” he said.
The archbishop made the statement in his homily at the opening Mass of the 41st National Social Action General Assembly (Nasaga) at the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral on Monday.
Nasaga is a biennial gathering of social action directors and workers from across the country, including some bishops of Caritas Philippines, the umbrella organization of diocesan social action centers.
POGOs, mostly run by Chinese firms, have been linked to criminal activities, including money laundering, fraud, and illegal gambling.
“There are so many incidents that we can see that if you have the power, the money and influence, including the guns and the goons, what you want, you get,” Lazo added.
Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan earlier called for the shutdown of POGO operations in the country.
READ: Archbishop joins calls to outlaw Pogos
In a June 15 pastoral letter, he lamented that the negative impacts of POGOs have outweighed the benefits to the nation.
“The recent raids that revealed the extent of the evil at these Pogo hubs—including incidences of human trafficking and torture and money laundering—make it a moral imperative that they be outlawed,” Villegas said.
State gaming regulator and operator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) recently said that 250 to 300 POGOs were operating in the country without a license, far outnumbering the 46 recognized as legitimate operators.
