IN an ideal world, Philippine offshore gaming operators shall not co-exist with Bagong Pilipinas. The way the government tells it, Bagong Pilipinas represents the new norms, the modern institutions and structures, and even the core values of a nation on the cusp of greatness. Under Bagong Pilipinas, there is theoretically no room for criminality, deviancy or corruption. It is the mission of Bagong Pilipinas to guard our dynamism-infused nation from being sullied by criminality and corruption.
And is the P20 billion worth the global embarrassment over hosting POGOs, worth the crime and mayhem that automatically come to countries hosting them?Any claim of societal change and transformation under Bagong Pilipinas is belied and mocked by the POGOs' continued presence in the country.