ACTING Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte has voiced strong disapproval regarding the government’s perceived lack of concrete action against gambling, particularly online gambling, across the Philippines.
During a recent “Basta Dabawenyo” episode, Mayor Baste criticized the previous administration for making Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) an issue, arguing that POGOs had no direct negative impact on the populace and, in fact, contributed to employment opportunities.
The Mayor explained that POGOs are an outsourced industry, primarily involving foreign nationals rather than Filipinos directly.
“They replaced it with gambling within the country that targets Filipinos themselves. And you know gambling, it’s a vice, it’s an issue, and you are making it very accessible to your own people,” Mayor Duterte stated, expressing his concern over the shift.
This sentiment comes as many have expressed disappointment that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. did not address online gambling during his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, 2025.
