Senator raises alarm on POGO links to surveillance, hacking
By John Victor D. Ordoñez, Reporter
A PHILIPPINE Senator raised concern on Tuesday over the possible connections of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) to hacking and surveillance of government websites.
“How many times have we called for POGOs to leave the country because of their links to crime and fugitives?” Senate Ana Theresia N. Hontiveros-Baraquel told a Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality in Filipino.
“Now that we see a national security issue, what else is the government waiting for? Why are we not banning POGOs?”
Senators are looking into cases of human trafficking, torture, and other crimes committed in POGO hubs after a recent raid resulted in the rescue of hundreds of POGO workers in Bamban, Tarlac.
“I was very disturbed to hear that there is persuasive information from the intelligence community Bamban complex that this is being used for surveillance activities, and that some high-profile cases of hacking of our own government websites are traceable to this complex,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said.
Earlier, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) reported a series of cyber hacking incidents on the websites of the Bureau of Customs, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the Department of Science and Technology, among others.
In February, it reported that hackers using Chinese IP (Internet Protocol) addresses tried to hack the website of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) more than 17,000 times at the start of the year.
It also said that hackers had targeted the email domains of agencies including the Cabinet Secretary, PCG, Department of Justice, the National Coast Watch System, and the President’s official website.
Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John E. Uy has said the Philippines only had about 200 certified cybersecurity experts in 2022.
Cybersecurity company Kaspersky said the Philippines ranked second among countries with the most cyberattacks globally in 2022.
At the same hearing, Ways and Means Committee Chairperson Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian reiterated his call to ban all POGOs in the country, saying their links to crimes outweigh economic gains.
“So, we see there is no good in bringing POGO here,” he said. “The POGO should really be stopped because what we fear is already here… they know how to use money, bribes to protect them in their operation here in our country.”
Malacañang last month ordered the Anti-Money Laundering Council to freeze the assets of a POGO hub in Tarlac province in the northern Philippines.
A total of 868 POGO workers were rescued during a March 13 raid after the company was linked to human trafficking and torture crimes.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission seized about P6 million in cash and passports in 11 vaults found in the POGO hub. Authorities also seized at least 60.
“POGOs are a petri dish for crimes,” Ms. Hontiveros-Baraquel said. “If the administration really wants to fight crime and threats to national security, the President should start banning POGOs.”