In compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to close down all Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) in the country, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday personally led the inspection of the former POGO hub Island Cove Hotel and Resort in Kawit, Cavite.

“As promised sinabi namin na December pupunta kami rito para ipakita na sarado na lahat. I hope this puts to rest the issue na may POGO hub pa rin sa Cavite,” Remulla said during a special site inspection of the now closed POGO hub, where 15,000 Filipinos and 15,000 Chinese nationals worked.

Remulla personally hung the notice of foreclosure and padlocked the premises together with Philippine National Police Chief PGen Rommel Marbil, PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco, and Cavite Governor Athena Tolentino.

They were joined by representatives from the DOJ, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Anti-Money Laundering Council.

Remulla said the POGO hub’s operation in Island Cove started in 2019 and ended in November 2024, a month before the deadline set by the President.

The DILG Secretary assured that Filipino workers of the said POGO hub were prioritized in job fairs organized by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Department of Trade and Industry.

In his first week as DILG Secretary last October, Remulla committed to personally shut down the Island Cove Hotel and Resort which formerly housed POGO operations in compliance to the marching orders of the President.

Original Article At: https://www.dilg.gov.ph/news/Remulla-fulfills-promise-shuts-down-Island-Cove-POGO-hub-in-Cavite/NC-2024-1157