MANILA-- The government is working to collect unpaid taxes of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), Malacañang said Thursday following calls from an opposition senator.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Thursday questioned the Bureau of Internal Revenue's (BIR) decision to tax online sellers while POGOs have billions in unpaid dues to the government.

"Sinisingil po natin Senator Hontiveros, hindi po natin sila pinalulusot. Hindi po sila pupuwedeng magbukas nang hindi nagbabayad ng kanilang mga buwis," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said of the mostly Chinese-run firms.

(We are asking them to pay Sen. Hontiveros. We are not letting them off the hook. They are not allowed to operate unless they pay their dues.)

"Trust me po, lahat po pinagkukunan natin para mabigay natin ang pangangailangan ng mga biktima ng COVID-19," he added.

(Trust me, we are trying to source funds everywhere to address the needs of COVID-19 victims.)

Hontiveros had asked why the government seems to impose strict policies against Filipinos, while being lenient on POGOs.

"Bakit ba ang luwag natin sa POGO pero ang lupit sa mga Pilipino? Kahit na may P50 billion unpaid taxes sila, at kahit na di essential, pinayagan pa ring mag-operate sa ilalim ng ECQ," Hontiveros said in a tweet, referring to the 2-month lockdown that left many businesses shut and thousands out of jobs.

(Why are we lenient on POGOs and harsh on Filipinos? Even if they owe the government P50 billion in unpaid taxes and is not an essential industry, they were still allowed to operate during the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine).)

The BIR earlier said online sellers with annual revenues above P250,000 should begin registering their businesses and pay proper taxes after the e-commerce industry boomed during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Online sellers earning below P250,000 yearly are tax exempt: Palace

-- with a report from Katrina Domingo, ABS-CBN News