Charming penguins in B -> PP decays and the extraction of gamma

It is shown that inclusion of charming penguins of the size suggested by short-distance dynamics may shift down by $10^o-15^o$ the value of $\gamma $ extracted via the overall fit to the $B \to PP $ branching ratios. A substantial dependence of the fit on their precise values is found, underscoring the need to improve the reliability of data.