MANILA, (PIA) — Senator Win Gatchalian is urging for an increase in the intelligence budget for the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the government intensifies its campaign against Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) that continue to operate despite a ban.
“The PNP needs funds to gather intelligence, particularly in the fight against POGOs,” Gatchalian stated, highlighting that some POGOs are going underground and disguising themselves as legitimate businesses.
During discussions on the PNP’s proposed budget for 2025, Gatchalian emphasized the necessity of supporting the police in enhancing their intelligence capabilities.
He pointed out that the PNP’s intelligence fund has decreased from P1.356 billion in 2023 to P906.025 million this year.
Under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2025, the intelligence fund was initially set at P806.025 million but was increased by P100 million following Senate deliberations.
“The reduction is counter-intuitive to what we want to achieve,” the senator said.
With the President’s directive to terminate all POGO operations by the end of the year, Gatchalian stressed the urgency for law enforcement agencies, particularly the PNP, to intensify their efforts to eliminate illegal POGOs, which are linked to crimes such as kidnap-for-ransom, human trafficking, and online scams.
According to PNP data, there were 5,800 reported victims of POGO-related crimes as of May this year.
Gatchalian also cited Section 4 of Executive Order No. 74, issued by the President on November 5, which mandates the PNP to intensify efforts against illegal POGOs and other offshore gaming operations.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, Gatchalian has been a prominent advocate for the complete cessation of POGO operations in the Philippines, arguing that the social costs associated with these businesses far outweigh any economic benefits. (JCO/PIA-NCR)
