NO TO POGO. Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority president and chief executive officer Gil Taway IV delivers a speech during a cooperation deal signing at the APECO office in Casiguran, Aurora on June 28, 2024. Taway said he is not allowing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators inside the ecozone. (PNA photo by Kris M. Crismundo)
CASIGURAN, Aurora – For 17 years since its inception, the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) had only one operating locator, but it was eased out in May.
APECO president and chief executive officer Gil Taway IV told the Philippine News Agency in an interview last week that the company is a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).
Taway said he had to ease out Lucky Dragon Online Solutions Corp. from operating inside APECO here, as he does not want POGO and other gambling operations within the ecozone.
He said the direction of the APECO Board is to entice investments in agro-industrial, energy and defense.
According to Taway, APECO and Lucky Dragon agreed to revise the lease contract, which initially allowed the POGO to operate for 25 years.
He said he gave Lucky Dragon until June this year to exit APECO but the firm left the ecozone as early as May.
Lucky Dragon registered with APECO in 2019 and started operations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“What kind of industry that will flourish in APECO, which is very far from the economic center, very hard to reach, but likes isolation? And that’s the defense sector. But offshore gaming, it doesn’t make sense,” Taway said, adding that POGO does not benefit the locals of Aurora. (PNA)
