In The Public Square: POGOs and dark money

MANILA, Philippines – As President Marcos Jr. prepares for his third State of the Nation Address, more voices are joining the chorus calling on him to use the occasion to announce an outright ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators or POGOs.

What drew POGOs to the Philippines in the first place, under Rodrigo Duterte? Where does the money that funds them come from? And what explains their staying power, two years after Duterte left office?

In this episode of In The Public Square, Rappler columnist and editorial consultant John Nery sits down with Alvin Camba, a leading scholar on the effects of China’s rise on the Global South. This led him to study, among many other topics, the flow of capital, both licit and illicit, in Asia.

He was an assistant professor at the University of Denver and is a newly appointed Research Advisor at Associated Universities Inc. He continues to teach at the Fletcher School in Tufts University in Boston.

Watch the episode on Wednesday, July 17, at 8 pm. – Rappler.com