Senator Leila de Lima is the black sheep of Philippines politics. The Duterte government and its supporters rather she stayed quiet in her prison cell, and she’s saying anything she can to stay in the spotlight. She’s now joining the chorus of opposition senators hammering on the Philippine Offshore Gambling Operator (POGO) issue, calling for her own Senate probe.

Senator de Lima has filed Senate Resolution 440 to call for the probe. She cited a rise in POGO activities during the Covid-19 pandemic as the reason for the probe, which “merits a clear and unequivocal action from the government, including Congress.”

“There is a need to determine the resolve in which our law enforcement sector to implement our laws against POGOs,” she added.

While most licensed POGOs are operating within the law, De Lima wants an explanation from the Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the regulator of the sector, as well as the Department of Finance, on why POGOs should be allowed to continue operating “in spite of their well-documented, repeated and continuous offenses against Philippine laws.”