Pres. Duterte wants to boost the battle against illegal gambling in the country.
DUTERTE – Philippine Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte has already signed the Executive Order No. 13 which directs several government agencies and the Philippine National Police to strengthen the fight against illegal gambling in the Philippines.
The existence of illegal gambling in the country has been one of the societal problems for years. Recently, on the 2nd day of February 2017, Pres. Duterte has signed the Executive Order No. 13 based on a recent news report in Inquirer.
According to the report, the said order which was signed by Pres. Duterte directs the Department of Justice (DOJ), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the PNP to strengthen the fight versus illegal gambling.
Furthermore, according to the news report, the illegal gambling is defined as any game scheme which is not given authorization by the government or has no license to operate in the said order.
The EO No.13 reads: “The state condemns the existence of illegal gambling activities as a source of widespread social menace and source of corruption as it has become an influential factor in an individual’s disregard for the value of dignified work, perseverance and thrift.”
The EO No.13 also orders several entities to submit to the Office of the President updates on the progress of the battle against illegal gambling within their control.
The said entities include Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), and the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (Afab). Moreover, the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Free Authority or more commonly known as Apeco is also ordered to submit updates.
According to the report, the update or report regarding the progress is required to be forwarded to the President’s Office within six months and every six months since the EO, which took effect immediately, is implemented.
