I have been away from the Philippines for three months now, but there is one thing I still can't figure out—why did the Philippine government ban POGO, yet vigorously promote local gambling?

The initial reason for banning POGO was said to be "to maintain social order and promote long-term national development," but what about now? Local gambling advertisements are everywhere, almost all mainstream apps and media are promoting gambling, and even marijuana is starting to be legalized. This kind of double standard really baffles me.

In my opinion, this move by Marcos Jr. is completely political manipulation, not for the good of the country, but to divert conflicts and cover up his incompetence in governance. After all, he has been in office for several years with no significant achievements, while the national economy is getting worse, social order is continuously deteriorating, and foreign debt is outrageously high. Now, using POGO as a scapegoat, on one hand, he pretends to enforce the law strictly, while on the other hand, he quietly legalizes local gambling, exploiting his own people.

The Philippines is already poor, and now with such a president, he is directly calling on the entire nation to gamble, encouraging his citizens to pour their money into casinos. I really can't imagine what the Philippines will become in a year or two. The social problems brought by the gambling industry won't be visible in a day or two, but in the long run, they will definitely exacerbate social unrest, widen the gap between the rich and the poor, worsen the slum issues, and increase the crime rate.

Sometimes I really feel that this country has already embarked on a road of no return...