Foreign workers employed by now banned POGOs have been ordered to leave the Philippines amidst news that some operators may avoid the ban.
The situation around the recently announced Philippines Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) ban continues to develop, as Bureau of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco announced that all workers employed by these companies must leave the country in 60 days. The measure also includes workers employed by Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), the successor type of company to POGOs.
The measure comes after President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. banned all POGOs during his third State of the Nation Address on the 22nd of July.
Tansingco stated that an estimated 20,000 foreign workers will have to leave the country and that pending applications and new applications for visas relating to POGO and IGL workers will be denied by the BI.
He added that pending and new applications for visas for POGO and IGL workers will be denied by the BI. The Immigration Chief also said that his office has a list of workers employed by these entities which it received from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
PAGCOR itself, meanwhile, was at the center of a story that the regulator is asking for a dozen POGOs to be exempt from the ban. Local news outlets reported that the gambling authority made the appeal on the basis that 12 of the 43 legal POGOs in the country were only customer service agents for gaming companies.
A TV report on local news show 24 Oras reported that PAGCOR said thousands of employees and businesses will be affected by the ban. POGOs and IGLs not only employ foreigners, but also directly and indirectly employee thousands of Filipinos. Estimates range from 30,000 to 42,000 directly employed individuals, with many more providing ancillary services such as accommodation, catering, and travel.
No official statement was available from PAGCOR on the story about ban exemptions, as the regulator’s office was closed due to super Gaemi putting Metro Manila into a state of calamity, with roads flooded and most work in the public and private sector suspended.
