In a major move to finalize the dismantling of the offshore gaming industry, the Philippine Government has released a Unified Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Signed by Executive Secretary Ralph Recto at Malacañang Palace, the document creates a legally sound, coordinated mechanism for multiple agencies to execute the total ban on POGOs.
Standardizing the Crackdown
The SOP consolidates Executive Order No. 74 and Republic Act No. 12312 (the POGO Ban Act) with 15 other existing statutes. This single workflow manages everything from intelligence gathering and asset seizure to victim-centered support.
Under the new protocol, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission serves as the principal coordinator, while the Department of Justice will embed prosecutors early in the case-building phase to increase conviction rates for illegal operators.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto described the SOP as a turning point in national security:
“The new guidelines will help clean up the mess left by the social scourge and prevent the possible return of the illegal industry. [The SOPs will move from] merely stopping hubs to asset protection, confiscation of ill-gotten wealth, prosecutions, victim assistance, and cutting off criminal syndicates from their lifelines, which include the financial and corporate communities supporting them.”
A Message of Zero Tolerance
Recto emphasized that POGOs are a “constantly changing threat” and warned that any syndicate attempting to remain underground would face the full weight of the Philippine Government law:
“[The purpose is to] turn the law into a sophisticated weapon instead of an unprocessed one. POGOs received notice that their time is over and that no more tolerance will be shown towards them; instead, the full weight of the law will come upon them.”
