Shekinah Jedidiah Alima

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the prohibition of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) hubs in the Philippines during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) at Batasang Pambansa on Monday, July 22. 


Marcos tapped the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to cease all POGO operations effective immediately, with a complete shutdown mandated by the end of the year.

This decision follows growing calls for a ban from various government sectors due to national security threats, particularly after suspended Bamban City Mayor Alice Guo was linked to unlicensed POGO activities with suspected connections to China.

“I hereby instruct PAGCOR to wind down and seize the operation of POGOs by the end of the year,” Marcos said.

He also ordered the the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to assist Filipino workers affected by the POGO ban.

“The DOLE with coordination with our economic managers shall use the time between now and then to find new jobs for our countrymen who will be displaced," Marcos reiterated. 

According to a 2023 data DOLE, there are around 25,000 Filipinos employed in POGO operations, with 52.2 percent of these workers directly impacted by the ban.

In May 2024, Guo went on probe after denying her ties with unlicensed POGO operations at the Baofu Compound behind her office that later on was proved to be true.

The National Bureau of Investigations also exposed her previously concealed Chinese identity, Guo Hua Ping.

Guo is now under arrest for not showing up at the June 26 and July 10 hearings of the Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality.

The legalization of POGO operations began in 2016 under the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.