(NI NOEL ABUEL)

UMAASA si Senador Joel Villanueva na tutularan ng iba pang local government units (LGUs) ang desisyon ng lungsod ng Makati na itigil ang pagbibigay ng business permit sa mga Philippine Offshore Gaming Corporation (POGO) service provider.

“We hope that other POGO hotspots in Metro Manila and other areas take heed of this significant step of Makati City and implement a similar ban until we clearly see the benefits of this growing sector,” panawagan pa ng senador sa mga alkalde ng Metro Manila at sa iba pang LGUs sa buong bansa.

Kasabay nito, pinuri ni Villanueva ang Makati government sa desisyon nito na pansamantalang itigil ang pagbibigay ng business permit sa nasabing mga service providers.

“We commend the decision of the Makati local government to indefinitely stop the issuance of business permits to POGO service providers citing how the social costs of its operations affect the city,” sabi ng senador.

Sinabi pa ni Villanueva na sang-ayon ito sa paniniwala ng Makati LGU na hindi matutumbasan ng malaking kita sa operasyon ng POGOs sa tumataas na krimen na may kaugnayan sa operasyon nito.

“Revenues earned from this sector only end up funding crime-prevention efforts of police, who run after prostitution and human trafficking dens, among others, instead of channeling these scarce resources to social welfare programs and services, such as improving the quality of education, greater subsidy for health needs, and training for skilled workers,” paliwanag pa nito.

Magugunitang noong nakaraang Kongreso ay nababahala si Villanueva sa patuloy na pagdami ng mga illegal foreign  workers sa bansa partikular sa mga POGOs.

At nitong 18th Congress ay naghain ng panukala ang ilang senador para imbestigahan ang pagdami ng illegal foreign workers sa bansa dulot ng pagdagsa ng operasyon ng POGOs.

“At the start of the 18th Congress, we filed a resolution calling on various committees in the Senate to investigate, in aid of legislation, whether the benefits brought about by POGOs outweigh its direct and indirect negative effects, such as influx of illegal foreign workers, tax evasion, rising criminality, including money laundering, rising property prices, among others. We expect to commence hearing on this matter in January of next year,” sabi pa ni Villanueva.