THOUSANDS OF EX-POGO WORKERS DEPORTED AS BAN DEADLINE NEARS

Less than a month before the deadline of a total Pogo ban in the Philippines, foreign ex-Pogo workers have already left and are set to leave the country (Photo courtesy of PAOCC)

Some 10,821 foreign workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) have already left the country as the December 31 deadline for the cessation of Pogo operations approaches.

According to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), these workers are part of more than 21,757 foreigners employed in POGOs "who have downgraded their visas to temporary visitor visas as of November 7." The BI said it expected around 20,000 former Pogo workers to leave the country before the year ends.

BI have canceled the visas of 12,106 foreign nationals who did not apply for downgrades and these individuals must exit the country before the year ends. Those who failed to leave by the deadline are warned to face deportation and be blacklisted from entering the Philippines.

On Thursday December 05, 190 Pogo employees from various POGO hubs raided by authorities will be deported back to China for violating Philippine immigration laws. 

Upon arrival in China, the POGO workers will be subjected to investigation for possible involvement in online scamming activities, because in China they are all treated not victims but criminals.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado emphasized the urgency of the situation, asking foreign Pogo workers to comply with the government-mandated deadline.

Pogos operating in the country had become a national issue, a problem that would become “bigger” after the Dec. 31 deadline set by President Marcos for all these gambling operations to cease.

Assistant Justice Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV also issued a stern warning: “By Dec. 31, it’s a blanket ban—no more licenses, no more business opportunities for Pogos in the Philippines.”

Come January, the government will launch intensified operations against illegal POGOS. “The law enforcement agencies like the NBI, the PNP and the Bureau of Immigration have come together to form a strong group to hunt down these remaining POGO operators.”

Source: GMA Integrated News 

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