The Philippines’ government has set out a new set of unified rules designed to assist authorities enforcing the nationwide ban on offshore gaming operators (POGOs).
The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on the implementation of the POGO ban were signed by Executive Secretary Ralph Recto at a ceremony in Manila and are intended to strengthen inter-agency coordination and provide greater legal tools
The SOPs consolidate two POGO ban orders along with 15 other laws and department orders into one action plan.
Recto said: “These SOPs will evolve our approach—from merely shutting down hubs to preserving assets, seizing illicit resources, securing convictions, protecting victims, and cutting these criminal enterprises off from the financial and corporate networks that sustain them.”
The Philippines shifted away from licensing POGO operations in July 2024 after President Ferdinand Marcos announced he was outlawing them in his 2024 State of the Nation Address due to their links to criminal activities.
At the time, he said that they had ‘ventured into illicit areas beyond gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture and even murder’, and a deadline of the end of 2024 was set for the closure of such operations.
However, it was only earlier this month that authorities in the Philippines declared that the country had completely removed the final remnants of the offshore operators.
Upon signing the declaration, Recto described POGOs as ‘an ever-evolving menace all too capable of reappearing unless government remains vigilant, coordinated and relentless’.
The Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC) is charged with leading enforcement against POGOs, with help from the Department of Justice, the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The latter two organisations will handle financial and corporate intelligence related to the proceeds of illicit activities from POGOs.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development will also provide assistance for the victims of POGOs through witness protection and support for trafficked persons found to be working within the operations.
Recto praised the SOPs as ensuring that laws against POGOs are not ‘blunt instruments’ with little real-world impact. Instead, he said that they will be ‘precise and sophisticated ones, capable of dismantling illegal POGO operations completely and bringing all those behind them to justice’.
In November 2025, PAOCC said that it was still pursuing members of dismantled POGO networks and was overseeing 55 cases related to the outlawed operations.
“PAOCC remains persistent in seeking justice for the victims who endured detention, threats, and exploitation inside the compound,” said the organisation at the time.
“These individuals were not mere figures in an investigation—they were human beings whose dignity was violated, and whose stories, courage, and cooperation made this victory possible.”
