MANILA — Sen. Grace Poe links the proliferation of scam text messages to Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs.

Addressing her colleagues during the plenary session of the Senate, Poe noted that there were fewer scam text messages following President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s order during his State of the Nation Address that POGOs are banned.

"[K]ung mapapansin ninyo, wala nang masyadong nagte-text scam sa inyo ngayon ng mga nanalo kayo ng ganitong jackpot o kaya yung package ninyo, kailangan i-redeem ninyo, ganito-ganyan," she said.

"So nangangahulugan lamang na malaki ang kinalaman nitong mga nag-ooperate ng mga illegal na POGOs sa ating bansa. So, Mr. President, nagkandahirap tayo ipasa ang text scam law na finally napasa na pero nagugulat tayo dahil tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang mga pagti-text ng mga scam sa atin. Yun pala, siguro merong correlation between those scammers and those that were raided just recently,” Poe said.

READ: DICT sees fewer text scams with POGO ban

She said that the President's announcement of a ban "made a big impact at least when it comes to these scams that we are receiving,” she added.

Poe then urged her colleagues to make the POGO ban permanent by passing a law "that no legal or illegal POGOs will be allowed that are harmful to our countrymen."

Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who led a Senate committee investigation on POGOs, backed the proposal to legislate the ban on POGOs.

"Nakikiisa ako sa diwa ng mga ipinapanukala ng ating mga kasama, at the same time, gusto ko ring i-focus yung atensyon natin na dahil simpleng na-operate yang mga POGO na yan sa bisa ng mga lisensyang in-issue ng PAGCOR, simpleng sa pagbawi o pagkansela ng mga lisensyang iyon na inissue dati ng PAGCOR para sa mga POGO, masusundan o masusunod nang buong executive yung ban na ibinaba ni presidente nung kanyang SONA laban sa lahat ng mga POGO,” Hontiveros said.

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Hontiveros also backed proposals for government to use buildings that will be vacated by POGOs as well as the use of seized POGO assets to rehabilitate victim survivors of human trafficking, cyber scamming,  and violation of human rights of those who worked in POGOs.