The Philippine government's crackdown on online gambling (POGO) has finally reached a decisive moment! The "2024 Anti-POGO Act" aimed at completely banning POGO has been submitted to the full Senate session.

To understand what this step means, we can first briefly understand how a bill becomes law in the Philippines.

First, a bill is proposed by a senator or representative and undergoes preliminary discussion and review by relevant committees, then, the bill enters the House of Representatives and the Senate for three readings.

After reaching an agreement in both houses, it is submitted to the president for signature and approval, becoming law.

Finally, the bill that becomes law is published in the official gazette or major media, marking its official effect.

Bill Progress: From Executive Order to Institutionalized Ban

In the current situation, the "2024 Anti-POGO Act" (SB 2868) led by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has passed the preliminary committee review stage and has qualified for discussion in the full Senate session.

The core content of the bill clearly stipulates:

- From January 1, 2025, all forms of offshore gambling activities, including establishment, operation, participation in gambling centers, or providing related services, are completely prohibited.

- All existing POGO licenses will be fully revoked by December 31, 2024.

- Foreigners involved in POGO will lose their work permits in the Philippines, and related enterprises must settle all payable taxes and fees.

It is worth noting that this bill not only focuses on the gambling industry but also explicitly targets illegal activities related to POGO, including money laundering and human trafficking, and even the protection behavior of officials.

If government employees or officials are found violating the proposed measures, they will not only face penalties but will also be dismissed and permanently disqualified from holding government positions, and their retirement benefits will also be confiscated.

Entering the full Senate session for discussion is an important progress in the legislative process, indicating that the bill is close to the final decision.

Next, it's up to the senators to discuss and decide whether to pass or amend the bill.

If the bill is passed, it will continue to advance to the next stage, i.e., undergoing a similar process in the House of Representatives.

If there is no disagreement on the final version passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, it will be submitted to the president, who will sign it into law.

(Fun fact: If the president does not sign within 30 days but also does not veto, the bill automatically becomes law.)

That is to say, at this point in the process, passing and becoming law is just a matter of time!

The Effectiveness of the Ban: Law Supersedes Executive Orders

Compared to previous executive orders, once the "Anti-POGO Act" is passed, it will have higher legal effectiveness. Although executive orders can quickly implement policies, they can only exercise power within the existing legal framework, and their effectiveness is limited to the presidential term.

However, once the bill is passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives and signed into law by the president, it will have nationwide legislative effectiveness and is not bound by the current government's term of office.

Accordingly, the bill suggests repealing the current "POGO Taxation Act" (RA 11590), with the aim of completely ending the legality of offshore gambling, putting an end to future legal disputes and policy changes.

Why Completely Ban POGO?

Senator Joel Villanueva points out that the social, economic, legal, and moral costs of the POGO industry far outweigh its benefits. Here are the key issues:

1. Crime and public safety: The POGO industry breeds crimes such as kidnapping, human trafficking, and money laundering, severely undermining social order.

2. Limited economic contribution: Although POGO brings certain tax revenues and job opportunities to the Philippines, its overall economic benefits do not outweigh the social costs.

3. Damaged international image: Illegal activities in the POGO industry have burdened the Philippines with the notorious reputation of a "crime hotspot," affecting international investment confidence.

As Senator Risa Hontiveros said, "The victims are not just numbers in crime reports; they are people with names, faces, and families." The passage of the ban will bring long-awaited justice to these victims.

Impact and Transition: Providing Support for Affected Workers and Families

To help workers affected by the POGO ban, the bill requires the Philippine Department of Labor (DOLE) to collaborate with multiple departments to develop transition plans, providing skill training and re-employment support for unemployed workers.

However, regarding the several job fairs held for unemployed Filipino workers affected by POGO, these people are clearly not very satisfied with the government-organized job fairs. In these job fairs, Filipino companies offered more than 20,000 positions, but the actual number of people who applied was less than 5%.

The reasons for this are obvious, naturally, the gap in salary and benefits is unacceptable.

Beyond that, there are also issues related to the mixed-race children produced by deportations, how should their survival, education, and medical care be resolved?

For those Filipino women who have already formed de facto marital relationships with Chinese people, even having obtained marriage certificates, what will happen to such transnational families in the future?

Transnational marriage is already quite challenging, let alone involving criminal activities by Chinese personnel, who are likely to need to serve sentences?

Next Steps: Will the Ban Become Reality?

As mentioned earlier, the bill has now entered the full Senate session for discussion. If passed, the bill will be sent to the House of Representatives and ultimately signed into law by the president.

Considering President Marcos' executive order and strong support from the Senate, the likelihood of the bill being passed is very high. Once implemented, the Philippines will completely eradicate all traces of POGO from a legal perspective, and this controversial industry will completely exit the historical stage of the Philippines.

Conclusion

This crackdown on POGO is not just an administrative action against the gambling industry but a profound reform of the Philippine social justice and legal system.

From institutionalized bans to the complete eradication of illegal gambling activities, the Philippines is using the law as a weapon to restore social order and protect the rights and interests of its citizens.

As Sherwin Gatchalian said, "Standing by idly and doing nothing is ironic; the government has a responsibility to take decisive action to end the cycle of crime and injustice caused by POGO in the Philippines."

But in the current situation of the sluggish Philippine economy and obvious inflation, having lost POGO, an important component of GDP, how will the Philippines boost its economy in the future? Does Marcos and his government have the confidence to lead the Philippines towards a more prosperous future?