Following the shut down of an illegal Chinese restaurant in Pasig last February 23, Vico Sotto continues his campaign against illegal businesses, especially Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO).
He announced a “crackdown” on POGOs, businesses without permits, and fixers last March 2.
(Vico Sotto Shuts Down Illegal Chinese Restaurant in Pasig: “Kakapal ng mukha!”)
“Alam ‘nyo, hindi ‘nyo po talaga ako makukumbinse na okay ang POGO para sa Pasig City, lalo na po ngayon na narinig po natin ‘yung mga nasyonal nating opisyales, kasama po ang iilan sa mga senador natin, na nagsasalita na rin laban sa POGO, dahil nakita nila kung gaano ito kasama para sa ating bayan,” Sotto said at Pasig city hall on Monday morning.
[You know, you really cannot convince me that POGOs are good for Pasig City, especially now that we’ve heard our national officials, including a few of our senators, who have spoken against POGOs, because they’ve seen how bad they are for our country.]
As for the reasons that Sotto has in opposing POGOs, he said this: “Hindi naman po nagti-trickle down ang epekto sa mga Pilipino. Yung artificial na pagtaas ng mga land value sa lugar kung nasaan laganap ang POGO, hindi po maganda para sa atin. Ang nadi-displace at nahihirapan, ‘yung mga taga-doon sa lugar kung saan may mga POGO.”
[The effects don’t trickle down to Filipinos. The artificial spike in land values in places where there are many POGOs, that’s not good for us. People who live in those places are getting displaced and having a hard time.]
Sotto clarified that the Pasig government respects licences given to POGOs by national government agencies and will only go after those that lack the mandatory permits.
“Du’n po tayo galit na galit [They’re the ones we’re very mad at],” he said. “Diyan po tayo magka-crackdown sa susunod na mga araw, sa mga susunod na linggo [They’re the ones we’ll crack down on in the coming days, in the coming weeks].”
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