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Philippines Senator Joel Villanueva has filed a bill to repeal the law taxing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. banned all POGOs during his SONA speech last Monday.
According to Philippines news agencies, the proposed Bill, Senate Bill (SB) No. 2752, calls for the permanent cancellation of POGO licences and will give 30 days for POGOs to cease operations.
“In compliance with the directive of President Marcos, we must also make sure that there is no more trace of POGO in the Philippines,” Villanueva was quoted saying.
Said bill also mandates that the Bureau of Internal Revenue will continue to collect unpaid taxes from POGOs despite the repeal.
Failure in compliance will result in 12-20 years imprisonment, a fine of PHP100m (US$1.71m) or both. Foreign offenders will also be subjected to deportation upon serving their sentences.
If passed, the Bill SB 2752 will repeal Republic Act No. 11590 or the Act Taxing POGO, which was signed into law in 2021.
Even before the POGO ban, Senator Villanueva voiced his opposition regarding POGOs in the Philippines, and was one of the senators to push for banning all online gambling in the Philippines after the major illegal POGO raid in Bamban, Tarlac, resulting in the arrest of its then-mayor Alice Guo.
