Rappler's latest stories on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators
Chinese abducting POGO workers ‘fairly common’ – Makati investigator
There is an average of one incident a month, says Makati Police Investigation Unit chief Major Gideon Ines Jr

Chinese woman kidnapped in Makati is POGO employee – police
(UPDATED) The victim has been identified as Zhou Mei, 28, after her relatives come to the Makati Police to report the incident

Makati to temporarily stop issuing new business permits to POGO service providers
Mayor Abby Binay imposes the indefinite ban after the recent spike in crimes and prostitution involving foreign workers hired by POGOs

[ANALYSIS | Point of Law] The OSG and POGOs
Does the Office of Solicitor General have the power to give advisory opinions to other government agencies like Pagcor?

Duterte gives POGOs 3 days to pay taxes
Errant POGOs will be shot like 'pugo' or quail, says President Rodrigo Duterte, in his typical threat-making style

Malacañang says gov't can collect taxes from POGOs
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo says 'technicalities' will not stop the Duterte administration from collecting what is owed the Philippine government

Lawmakers refute ‘misguided’ Calida: Gov’t can tax POGOs
'The opinion of the OSG is erroneous, misplaced and misguided. It does not serve the interest of the country. Who will benefit from it?' asks Senator Franklin Drilon

House panel OKs bill slapping 5% franchise tax, 25% income tax on POGOs
House committee on ways and means chairperson Joey Salceda says imposing additional taxes on Philippine offshore gaming operators would raise P45 billion in government revenue

Robredo open to talks with China vs drug smuggling in PH
Vice President Leni Robredo says it's also important to look into Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) reportedly being used as fronts for money laundering

DOF backs more taxes for online gambling firms
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez supports the plan of Albay Representative Joey Salceda to slap more taxes on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and their service providers

Angeles City shuts down Chinese-operated POGO firm
City Hall closes a POGO company which had no business permit and was not paying business taxes


BIR closes first tax-dodging online gambling firm
The Bureau of Internal Revenue stops the operations of Great Empire Gaming and Amusement Corporation

Ace Barbers warns POGOs make PH vulnerable to drugs, money laundering
The chair of the House committee on dangerous drugs says the online gambling industry has the potential to 'revolutionize' the money laundering process

CIDG 7 chief relieved for leading raid on Cebu POGO
The Central Visayas' controversial CIDG chief Lito Patay previously led Quezon City's Station 6, known for racking up the most kills in anti-drug operations between 2016 and 2017

High risk, high return: House to probe online gambling boom
House ways and means committee chairman Joey Salceda says they are 'quietly studying' online gambling risks, adding that the industry already comprises nearly 1% of gross domestic product

Over 8,000 foreign POGO workers lack permits – DOLE
Bureau of Local Employment Director Dominique Tutay says 1,693 have since applied for the required alien employment permit, while a list of 6,678 others who did not was given to immigration

Online gambling contributes P551 billion to Philippine economy yearly
Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) now bring more cash to the local economy than business process outsourcing companies, says Leechiu Property Consultants
Dominguez orders BIR to shut down tax-dodging POGOs
'Those who don't pay or respond to your assessments, clamp them down,' says Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III

Duterte won't ban POGOs: 'We need it'
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is not heeding China's call to ban online gambling operations

Villanueva says POGOs are 'fertile ground for illicit transactions'
'We maintain that the sector does very little to benefit the country,' says the senator

EXPLAINER: How online casinos hit the jackpot in the Philippines
Rappler breaks down how online gambling flourished in Manila and why it could be the latest test of the relationship between the Philippines and China
[ANALYSIS] Duterte and the POGO dilemma
Beijing has asked that POGOs be closed, but their departure would in the near term adversely affect the bottom line of several of the Philippines' largest real estate firms. It's for President Duterte to save the sector.

OFWs in China as spies? 'Preposterous,' says Lorenzana
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana points out that Chinese companies are mandated to provide intelligence to their government, unlike overseas Filipino workers

Defense chief says Chinese POGO workers can easily shift to espionage
Chinese online gaming hubs near military camps can eventually spy on them, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana says, but a security expert believes spying is 'the least of worries' that POGOs present

Stocks to Watch: China's war vs POGOs hits properties
Properties hit the jackpot when online gambling flourished in Metro Manila. Just how colossal will the impact be if POGOs suddenly go away?
Philippines collects P356 million from POGOs, as China condemns gambling
The Chinese government wants gambling operators punished, but the Philippines wants to get more taxes from them

POGO hubs would protect Chinese workers' rights – Pagcor
'When we refer to POGO hubs as self-contained communities, what we mean is that these hubs will have all the basic needs of the foreign employees of POGO,' says Pagcor Chairperson Andrea Domingo

China slams Pagcor proposal to place Chinese workers in 'hubs'
(UPDATED) China expresses 'grave concern' over the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s plan to place Chinese workers in 'self-contained' communities to limit their interaction with locals
