President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech during the oath-taking of the new officials of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) at the Malacañang Palace on February 26, 2020. Simeon Celi, Presidential Photo

MANILA- While President Rodrigo Duterte is a “decisive” leader, he wouldn’t quickly decide on the fate of offshore gaming operators in the country without “goods” to back up his decision, his spokesman said Thursday.

Duterte cannot be rushed into deciding on some senators’ call to ban Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) since he is still waiting for a “comprehensive report” on the crimes and anomalies linked to the industry, his spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

“He (Duterte) will be waiting for reports coming from all agencies relative to this issue then he will make a decision on that,” Panelo told reporters in Malacañang.

“When the President decides on something, he has the goods to back up his decision. If he has not received a comprehensive report on these illegal practices then you cannot hurry him up. Ganun si Presidente, abogado ito (The President is like that. He is a lawyer),” he added.

Panelo made the remark as some senators agreed to craft a measure that would declare POGOs “illegal” in light of the rising number of crimes linked to the industry—ranging from sex trafficking to corruption.

The country’s offshore gaming industry has been under public scrutiny following a series of revelations in the Senate on anomalies surrounding the business. These include Chinese women being pimped to foreigners via social media, bribery involving Immigration officials, and the reported entry of millions of dirty money.

China, through its Manila embassy, has downplayed the crimes as “isolated incidents” and assured the public that it is coordinating with Philippine authorities in cracking down on crimes committed by its nationals.

“Individual illegal and criminal cases involving Chinese citizens are only isolated incidents and cannot represent the whole picture of China-Philippines relations," it said.



SOFT ON CHINA?

Sen. Richard Gordon who floated the report that millions in dirty money have entered the Philippines, and that some Chinese money launderers have established "connections" with Philippine government officials, has blamed President Duterte’s supposed “soft stance” on China for the rise in crimes linked to POGOs.

Panelo however denied Gordon’s claims and insisted that the Duterte administration is “always alarmed” when it comes to issues involving national interest and security.

“Many do not know this President. The President is never soft on anything that relates to national interest. He is a very decisive President,” Panelo said.

“Any malpractice, any corruption, any irregularity relative to any project in this government are always being investigated, and after the findings, the President will act as always decisively,” he added.

President Duterte, at the start of the year, said China assured him that it would not meddle in the Philippines' policy on offshore gaming operators as more Chinese nationals seek work in the industry here.

Chinese law bans its citizens from engaging in "any form of gambling" including online and those that are based overseas but cater to Chinese nationals.

Beijing "understands" Manila's law enforcement system, Duterte told ABS-CBN News in January.

The Palace spokesman, however, said he has yet to speak with the President on whether the latter is in favor of continuing POGO operations in the Philippines in light of the issues surrounding the industry.

Panelo instead called for a review of the systems being implemented in relation to POGOs.

“If there is anything wrong with the system of POGO then we have to review it, evaluate it, and then streamline it, [and] improve it. All the agencies involved must do their job so that any corruption, any unlawful acts can either be neutralized or completely stopped,” he said.