MANILA -- Four House members have called for a congressional inquiry into the operations of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) industry in light of allegations that the booming business has led to the influx of unregistered foreign workers and government revenue losses as a result of non-payment of income taxes relative to the industry.
In House Resolution No. 337 which was filed Monday, Minority Leader and Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., CIBAC party-list Rep. Eduardo Villanueva, Muntinlupa Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, and Manila 1st District Rep. Manuel Luis Lopez urged Congress to probe "the allegations of unregistered foreign workers and non-payment of income taxes relative to POGO”
The resolution also called on Congress to look into the related issues on the effective implementation of Section 25, 1997 NIRC (National Internal Revenue Code), Immigration Rules and Regulations, and the Labor Code of the Philippines due to the unprecedented influx of foreign workers for the POGO industry.
In a statement released Tuesday, Abante pointed out that the inquiry was long overdue "given the numerous issues that have surfaced regarding the POGO industry."
Citing data from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the House leader said there are 63,855 documented foreigners working in the POGO industry.
“But there are some estimates that peg the number at 120,000, and until today the government is still reconciling its data," he said.
"The fact that we cannot even accurately account for these workers is troubling. If we have problems with regard to their documentation, then we will definitely have issues properly determining revenue collection," Abante said.
Earlier this month, Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Joselito G. Lambino II said that the Department of Finance (DOF) estimates around PHP2 billion worth of personal income taxes are not being collected monthly from POGO workers.
“That is why an inter-agency task force has been formed by the DOF in order to make sure who is here in the country working in the sector,” Lambino said.
Aside from the revenue losses, Abante said he and his colleagues were alarmed by reports that POGO hubs have been established in what Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana referred to as “strategic locations.”
Philippine defense installations near the Chinese online casinos include Camp Aguinaldo, the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, the Air Force headquarters in Pasay City, the Philippine Army headquarters in Taguig City, the Philippine Navy headquarters on Roxas Boulevard, and Sangley Point in Cavite.
"What kind of possible threats do these POGO hubs near our defense installations represent? These and other concerns are what we want to address in an inquiry," Abante said. (PNA)
