No report on displaced Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers has yet been received by the nation’s Department of Labor and Employment, according to the Labor Secretary.
Speaking to media, Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma noted that authorities were monitoring the National Capital Region (NGR) as “that is where the majority of IGLs are”.
Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) was how POGOs were rebranded.
The official also indicated that some 20,000 POGO workers had been profiled, with most able to transition into admin, finance, HR or encoding-related jobs. Previously, the head of the Philippine gaming regulator, PAGCOR, had indicated up to 40,000 workers could be affected.
“We are happy. Their company is cooperative. They are providing the list of workers that might be affected by the closure of IGLs by the last month of the year. This is ongoing and we would like to see that we are able to provide proper assistance,” noted the official, as cited by the nation’s news agency.
Affected workers are also suggested to utilize an online job application matching system, PhiJobNet, while a job fair for affected IGL workers is expected “within the month”.
The nation’s president in July announced a ban on POGO operations, ordered to close up shop by the end of the year.
