Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 1) — The government's COVID-19 task force has allowed Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) to resume operations amid the community quarantine enforced in the country.

This was confirmed by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman Andrea Domingo to CNN Philippines on Friday.

Domingo said she attended a virtual meeting with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Thursday. In the same meeting, the IATF approved her recommendation to reopen online gambling services — insisting they are part of the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, not the gaming sector.

POGO operations have been suspended by PAGCOR since March 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic. As President Rodrigo Duterte extended community quarantine over the country until May 15, also eased the restrictions on several nonessential businesses. The government has allowed BPOs to resume operations starting Friday.

Domingo said the online gambling services catering to markets outside the Philippines can resume operations once they finalize documents and finish disinfecting their offices.

President Rodrigo Duterte's spokesperson, Harry Roque, previously said that should the government allow POGOs to reopen, it can only be attributed to the country's need for more funding.

However, the gaming sector has faced several issues in the past few months.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue earlier revealed that over ₱27 billion worth of tax liabilities remain uncollected from the POGO sector.

The Anti-Money Laundering Council also said POGOs generate only ₱7 billion in net inflows— a value the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee said only translates to a "negligible" 0.04 percent of the domestic economy.

The Blue Ribbon has also opened inquiries into POGO-related crimes in the Philippines, including the controversial money laundering scheme.

Several lawmakers have thumbed down plans to reopen POGOs. Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday filed a resolution to block POGOs from reopening, adding that these players should only be chased so they pay overdue taxes of around ₱50 billion to boost the government's COVID-19 response.

[color=rgb(0, 101, 152) !important]Related: Hontiveros wants to end POGOs, demands unpaid taxes to foot COVID-19 bill

Dominguez said the only POGOs allowed to operate are those that have registered and paid all due taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue. They also need to present valid work visas of all its workers.

She added around 31,500 Filipinos are employed by POGO companies.

要睡觉了 呵呵