Blacklisted!

There is this general suspicion that the Chinese government is using POGOs to infiltrate Philippine society the way the Japanese did before WW2… that we will wake up one morning to see those POGO workers wearing the uniform of the People’s Liberation Army.

But banish the fear. The Chinese Embassy is saying they hate POGOs and want us to ban them.

According to Senate President Migs Zubiri, the Chinese Ambassador told him and two other senators that the Philippines is on a China tourism blacklist because of POGOs. That means Chinese tourists, a major bulk of our tourism market, will be discouraged from coming here.

Then the Chinese Embassy backtracks. They issued a press release denying the Ambassador said “blacklist”.

“The report of ‘tourist blacklist’ is misinformation. China has not placed the Philippines on its blacklist for tourism,” the Chinese embassy said in a statement.

But Zubiri stood his ground that he accurately quoted Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian saying that the country was on a blacklist because of issues hounding Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs). I believe Zubiri on this one because he has nothing to gain by misquoting the Chinese Ambassador.

“It was the Ambassador who said the tourism blacklist, not any one of us, as he discussed how it could affect tourism. So maybe he meant future tense and not present tense,” the Senate President said. He added that Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Robin Padilla could also attest that the term “blacklist” came from Huang’s mouth.

Zubiri earlier said a “significant drop” in tourists from China is because the Chinese are uncertain if they are “safe from illegal activities being done by the triad, by the syndicates operating POGOs. Chinese tourists feared that they would be kidnapped and mistaken as POGO operators,” Zubiri surmised.

In the embassy press release, Ambassador Huang reiterated China’s firm policy against POGOs. It cited Chinese law and regulations warning Chinese citizens gambling overseas, opening casinos to attract Chinese citizens as primary customers constitute gambling crimes.

It noted that “crimes induced by and associated with POGOs not only harm China’s interests and China-Philippines relations, but also hurt the interests of the Philippines.”

I agree with China on its official position on POGOs. Indeed, other countries in the region have clamped down on these operations at the request of China. A good example is Cambodia.

But the Philippines under Duterte insisted on keeping POGOs. Never mind its negative effects on society, as well as on the crime situation. So much illicit money was going around. There were reports that POGO big shots even enjoy official escorts.

Never mind that Filipino bureaucrats are being corrupted… like those immigration officers, fraternity brothers of Duterte, caught receiving bags full of cash. Also, the pastillas scam exposed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, which forced Duterte to fire the immigration officials involved.

Of course, the property industry is one big supporter of POGOs. They have even been buying space on social media warning of a property meltdown if we ban POGOs.

But the property sector isn’t getting any support from ordinary folks. Many have bad experiences with those young POGO workers.

No less than Finance Secretary Ben Diokno, the chief tax collector, believes that social costs of POGOs far outweigh its economic benefits to the Philippines in the long run.

“Studies on the POGO industry have shown that POGO operations involve illegal activities such as prostitution, employment of minors, and violation of labor laws,” Diokno said in his position paper submitted to the committee, citing police reports on POGO-related crimes.

“It is time to pursue investments that will create value and high-quality jobs for our people, in line with our vision of an inclusive and sustainable economic development,” Diokno added.

Indeed, once Chinese tourists are allowed to go abroad for leisure travel, attracting them to visit the Philippines may more than cover the losses attributed to POGOs. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, close to two million Chinese nationals traveled to the Philippines in 2019, making China the second largest source of tourists.

But Rep. Joey Salceda is against a total ban. He instead wants to “keep POGO operations within POGO-specific zones that are ring-fenced from the rest of the country”.

“New licenses will be in these zones, and existing licenses will be allowed only to complete their leases. Any offshore gaming that operates outside such zones would be considered illegal, he proposed.

Because easy money talks in this country, expect POGOs to remain. Too many politicians and shady influence peddlers will miss all that cash that even the BIR will not know. They don’t mind the country being blacklisted or suffer high social costs so long as they make their easy money.

Don’t blame China for POGOs. Blame our greedy politicians.

One Health Pass

Received this complaint from a British tourist about One Health Pass.

“The One Health Pass part of your column has struck a chord. It is the one thing most to blame for the very slow recovery of the numbers of international tourists coming to the Philippines.

“My own experience of trying to complete the process to get the QR code print out was a lengthy, very frustrating, and unsuccessful one. I last went to the website when I was in the UK. I had the much-needed assistance of my computer capable niece and her well qualified computer techie husband.

“We spent well over an hour using three different computers before we eventually managed to receive and print out a “barcode” copy of the pass. We were not able to get a “QR code” copy and such was never sent to me, although I was told it would be.

“The helpful and efficient staff of Emirates Airways in both London and Dubai were also unable to get me a “QR code” pass. Fortunately for me the “barcod” pass proved to be enough to satisfy the One Health Pass staff at Clark, although I did have to show them many supporting documents.

“I hope this will encourage you to use your many contacts in government and elsewhere to have this obsolete and irksome requirement done away with.”

Boo Chanco’s email address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco