SuffiilessLlirrcr
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Lawmalier to Pagc or, BIR Disclose
real revenues generated by Pogos
IIY JovEE NIARr c N.
MEMBER of the House Committee
on Games and Amusements on
Tuesday urged on the Philippine
Amusernent and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor)
and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (FIR)
to disclose the real revenues generated by
Philippine Offshore G ar n-ing Operators
(Pogos).
Surigao dei Norte Rep. Robert Lyn
don S. Barbers said in a statement he
wants these agencies to report to Con
gress the revenues ofPogos these subrait
to the national treasury.
Earlier, Pagcor Chairman Andrea
D. Domingo said the Pogo inclu.try is
contributing P20 billion year on lease
a so lar, only generaled P200 million in
payments lo the real-estate sector.
Dornirrgo rddcd rl,.1t the indLjtry is
also esLimated to generate P24 billion
in income taxes annually ancl Jr-L.25 bil
r)e l.A Ctuz I ojot,eenarie
lion in value added tax monthly from
foreign workers who purchase around
P12.5 billion a month.
"What Domingo is telling us are esti.
mates or prophesies; nothing more and
nothingless. As of lastreports published
recentlyin the media, the Pogo industry,
revenues," he added.
Accord ing r o Barbers, it now appea rs,
with the more than 200 Pogos ordered
shutdown by authorities, the m_uch-
$ Pacte - A\t/
Vednesday, Novenrber 6, 2019
vaunted billions of pesos projected in-
come from these online gaming firms
is just a product of "media hype."
The lawmaker said 46 out of the
5B Pogos licensed by Pagcor are regis-
tered local cdmpanies or foreign cor-
porations.
"Now, the BIR, togetherwith the NBI
and PNP, had shut down more than 200
illegai Pogos," he said.
"The question is: 'How can the gov-
ernment derive billions ot pesos in
revenues from these Pogos if only 12
ofthem are registered firms and could
be considered legal to operate in the
Philippines?"
Several measures have been filed to
lookinto the operations ofPogo opera-
tions in the country.
Barbers said he would dig into who
are accountable and responsible that
allowed and emboldened these "colo-
rum" online gan-ring firms to operate.
"First, we would ask the BI lBureau
of Immigration] and the Departmentof
Foreign Affairs on the real number of
Pogo workers who are now present in
the country. Nextwould be the Depart-
ment of Labor and Employmer.rL on how
many of these Pogo workers had been
issued with work visas and where are
they deployed or employed," he said.
"The last, of course, would be the
Pagcgr and the BIR. Is there any truth
on their much-vaunted prophesies of
billions of peso revenues out of these
Pogos," he added.
The solon said he could not compre-
hend *hy these Chinese Pogo opera-
tors andworkers are so emboldened in
workingin these colorum firms; "aclear
indication that they cheat the govern-
ment of revenues in terms of taxes."
Earlier, House Committee on Games
and Amusement Chairman and ACT-
CIS Rep. Eric Go Yap said his panel
will ask the BI, BIR and DOLE to re-
porc to the commirree the situarion
relating Pogo.
He saidthe committeewillalso study
the creation ofan interagency thatwill
regulate and document the entry of
Pogo workers in the country.
"We want to know how many Pogo
Chinese workers in the country and
how much taxes they are paying to the
government," he said.
The Iawmaker said this interagency
will also protect the workers from the
online gaming scheme.