EDITORIAL — Until now, still there are POGOs?

Less than two months to go before deadline set by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to get rid of all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators before the end of the year, it would seem that there are still POGOs operating in some parts of the country.

This after another POGO hub was raided in Bagac, Bataan, recently. According to authorities, the firm they raided in Centro Park, a vast compound in Barangay Parang, hosted scamming and human trafficking operations. Fifty-seven foreigners and 358 Filipinos were rounded up during the operation.

Among the alleged leaders and incorporators of the raided hub are 10 Chinese, four Malaysians, and two Thai nationals.

While online gambling does help some people win little amounts every now and then, the ills provided by easy access to gambling outweigh the benefits. Because of its easy access, it has now also become easy to develop an addiction to the vice; an addiction that can quickly spiral out of control and ruin lives.

Just recently in Daanbantayan Town, a man was charge for killing three others after they fought over their online gambling winnings. He allegedly killed one of them during a drinking session and later shot two other men.

This is just one story out of many untold, of people who have ruined friendships and themselves, or driven their families into bankruptcy just because they cannot rein in their compulsion to always win.

After all this, we again have to ask if some people high up in the government or in other positions of power are making sure some POGO operations are being protected as these don’t seem to be running out anytime soon.

We would expect the foreigners not to be familiar with the president’s directive, but their backers sure are. But again, it would seem that for many POGOs it’s still business as usual. We wonder why that is.