The Office of the President of the Philippines recently asked the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) to develop specific implementation rules to ensure a complete ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) conducting business within its jurisdiction, preventing the use of economic zone policies to circumvent the ban.
This decision responds to concerns raised by Senator Risa Hontiveros. Hontiveros warned that the President's comprehensive ban on POGO could be undermined by the economic zone's acceptance of online or internet gambling operators, allowing POGO to continue operating in the zone by changing its identity.
In response, CEZA Chief Executive Officer Katrina Ponce Enrile clearly stated that there are currently no POGO operators within CEZA, and its interactive gaming (iGaming) operators are unrelated to POGO.
She also revealed that since the Duterte administration issued Executive Order No. 13 allowing POGO operations in 2017, CEZA's client base has been continuously declining.
The latest directive from the Presidential Office aims to unify regulatory standards and ensure that all economic zones, including CEZA, strictly enforce the POGO ban to prevent any form of policy evasion.
This move is seen as an important step in strengthening national management of the gambling industry and is expected to have a profound impact on related industries and economic zone policies.
