Finance chief backs hubs for Pogo operations

For the head of the Duterte administration’s economic team, the establishment of hubs for Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) is a welcome development as it will allow easier monitoring of foreign—mostly Chinese—workers’ income taxes.

“We welcome that—it’s easier to collect because they are all in one place. They were telling me: ‘There was one island taken over by the Pogos, [the former] Island Cove [in Cavite].’ We welcome that they are all staying there and it’s easy to catch them. It’s a welcome opportunity, it’s a welcome development,” Dominguez told reporters.

Oriental Game—one of the country’s leading service providers for offshore gaming operators—is building two massive Pogo hubs in Cavite and Clark with more than P8 billion in investments to also serve as a one-stop shop for foreign workers to secure clearances from the government.

Pogos that will operate in these hubs will be granted by Pagcor with five-year gaming licenses.

These hubs will also host offices for Pagcor, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Also, Dominguez expressed confidence that the Chinese government’s concerns on offshore gaming operations being hosted in the Philippines would be resolved by the two countries’ heads of state.

“I am certain that the Office of the President, the Department of Justice, other relevant agencies are addressing the issues raised in the statement of the Embassy of China in Manila,” Dominguez said.

Last week, China’s embassy here said in a statement that “any form of gambling by Chinese citizens, including online gambling, gambling overseas, [and] opening casinos overseas to attract citizens of China as primary customers, is illegal.”