Former Philippine Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III has defended the legislation that introduced taxation for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs), arguing that it did not actually legalize the industry.
Sotto, who was a guest on Inquirer’s INQside Look program on Tuesday, stated that the decision to prohibit POGOs ultimately lies with the President. He acknowledged that the current administration had allowed Pogos to operate, with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) granting permits.
“It’s up to the President. Their President should’ve stopped it. But, he allowed it. PAGCOR allowed it. They allowed it. So what did Congress do? What Congress did was: ‘Hold on. The government isn’t benefiting from that. Let’s tax it.’ We did not legalize it. We merely taxed it”, Sotto said.
The former Senate President defended Republic Act 11590, the legislation passed during his tenure, which amended the internal revenue code to tax POGOs. He argued that this measure allowed the government to identify legal and illegal operators, ultimately leading to the discovery and halting of the unlawful ones.
“The good thing is we know who is paying, who is legal and who is not. That’s why we discovered the illegal ones. So instead of criticizing Congress that approved taxing POGOs, it should be praised because now the illegal ones have been discovered and stopped”, Sotto added.