Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos has ordered Philippine National Police chief Rodolfo Azurin, Jr to stop the PNP-Security Police Security and Protection Group from providing escorts to POGO officials.

Asked by the media when the order takes effect, Abalos said: "Effective immediately."

Azurin earlier called for a reassessment of the existing rules on the entry of foreign workers in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) amid a series of kidnapping incidents involving POGO workers.

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"It is high time that we reassess, we reevaluate our policies on POGO employees entering the country. This is why we require that they should be given a national police clearance so we have a means to check who these Chinese nationals are and at the same time, we ensure that those entering the country are not criminals," he said.

• PNP to file case vs Chinese tagged in kidnapping, human trafficking of POGO workers

Azurin added that the status of these aliens must be regularly checked to determine whether their stay in the country is for lawful purposes.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno earlier said he is in favor of discontinuing offshore gaming operations since the social costs outweigh revenue that has seen a decline, from P7.2 billion in 2020 to only P3.9 billion last year.

• Finance chief 'in favor' of discontinuing POGOs

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