According to a member of the National Economic and Development Authority, fraudulent activities linked to POGOS damage the country’s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
The Philippines.- Sarah Lynne Ducanes<\/strong>, assistant secretary for the Policy and Planning Group at the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) has added her voice to the Senate debate about whether to ban POGOs<\/a> in the Philippines. She has told a Senate committee that a ban could eventually benefit the country’s tourism sector<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Philippine Inquirer newspaper, Ducanes said POGOs were affecting the Philippines’ reputation <\/strong>among potential investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She said: “Not because of POGO per see, but the fraudulent activities [associated with it] can put us in that [black] list or has put us in that list. That can affect this entire economic environment that we’re trying to create to attract investments both local and foreign.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to preliminary NEDA estimates, POGOs generate a net cost<\/strong> to the country’s tourism industry, particularly Chinese tourism. Ducanes acknowledged that banning POGOs would result in some losses, such as office rental income. But she said a rebound in tourism could eventually offset the losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, House Representative Joey Salceda<\/strong> said NEDA’s assessment was highly speculative. He said the drop in Chinese tourists was not because of offshore gaming companies but because of China’s strict policies<\/a> on outbound tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Salceda, the number of Chinese tourists in Cambodia and the United Arab Emirates fell by about the same percentage as the number in the Philippines. He said: “It\u2019s very clear here that there is no difference<\/strong> if you have a POGO or not. China really has not allowed tourists to get out because of their zero-Covid policy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The president of the Philippine Senate, Juan Miguel Zubiri<\/strong>, has claimed that China has placed the Philippines on its tourist destination blacklist due to concerns about the offshore gambling industry. Although the Chinese Embassy in Manila denies it, Zubiri said that he was informed by Chinese ambassador Huang Xilian<\/strong> during a session studying the potential impact of banning POGOs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nChina’s black list<\/h2>\n\n\n\n