This view is supported by Robert Ace Barbers, Representative of the Second District of Surigao del Norte, following the Philippine president's announcement of a POGO ban, as cited by Philippine news reports.
He also added that the public can use "various social media platforms, or report directly to local government units, immigration, and law enforcement officers about the presence of 'underground' POGO offices and workers in their areas.
Following the POGO ban, some clarifications were made. Recently, Katrina Ponce Enrile, the Administrator and CEO of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), confirmed, "There are no POGOs (Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators) in the Cagayan Economic Zone and Freeport. There never have been, and there never will be."
CEZA was established under Republic Act No. 7922 or the 1995 Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act, serving both as a gaming regulator and an economic zone.
While earlier mentions of significant impacts such as job losses and national revenue losses were made, Deputy Speaker David Suarez claimed that since the implementation of the ban, the number of SMS scams has significantly decreased.
He stated that this indicates that POGOs had been used for criminal activities, and the ban was the right move to address this issue.
