MANILA - The Supreme Court has requested a comment from the Senate regarding a petition by suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, who seeks to avoid being summoned to Senate inquiries into Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGO) hubs. However, the Court has not yet issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would halt these proceedings.
According to Philippines News Agency, the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations, and Gender Equality has been given a ten-day period, without extension, to respond to the petition and the request for a TRO. Ting also noted that the Court mandated the Office of the Clerk of Court En Banc to ensure personal delivery of the resolution to the Senate, which is required to personally file its response.
The Supreme Court has not granted any injunctive relief to Mayor Guo at this time. Guo's legal team had earlier filed a petition to annul a subpoena issued by the Senate committee, which also named members of her family. This move comes amid ongoing Senate investigations into POGOs, which were raided in Tarlac and Pampanga, involving allegations of various illegal activities.
Senate President Francis 'Chiz' Escudero has stated that should Guo and her family decide to comply with the Senate's summons, adequate security will be provided. He also emphasized that the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms is coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation to enforce an arrest warrant if Guo fails to appear.
The controversy surrounding POGOs has intensified as Senator Sherwin Gatchalian expressed concerns during a Senate Committee on Ways and Means hearing about the negative impact of POGOs on the Philippines’ international reputation. Gatchalian highlighted that these issues are influencing foreign investment and tourism negatively. He has called on the Department of Labor and Employment to devise strategies to assist approximately 20,000 local workers who might be displaced by a potential POGO ban.
Additionally, the Department of Finance has advised President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to consider banning POGOs due to their substantial economic costs, including lost investment opportunities and increased law enforcement expenditures. During a Senate hearing, DOF Assistant Secretary Karlo Adriano detailed the financial implications, estimating that POGOs' annual operations could cost the country PHP99.25 billion, while the benefits are valued at PHP166.49 billion against economic costs of PHP265.74 billion.