MANILA, Philippines — Was there “strong pressure” from political backers of Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) behind their resumption of operations amid the quarantine being enforced to contain the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic? Bayan Muna representative and House Minority Leader Carlos Zarate raised this question on Saturday after the government allowed Pogos to partially operate despite the enforced quarantine. “So, was there a very strong pressure to reopen them that the [Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases] IATF acceded to their request? Are the political backers of POGOs so strong that they can even skirt COVID-19 pandemic regulations?” he added. Domingo said Pogos were allowed to operate as they are considered as business processing output (BPO) companies.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 02, 2020 02:53 UTC