BI: 100 more POGO workers set to be deported after Christmas

More than 100 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) workers, mostly Chinese nationals, would be deported after Christmas, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Sunday.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said it was presently difficult to deport foreign nationals as it was the peak season at airports.

“The other day, nag-deport tayo ng 180 Chinese nationals. Ito 'yung mga nahuli in Pasay. There are other batches na mga susunod in the next few weeks siguro. Malamang after Christmas na because of the difficulty in the scheduling of the flight ngayong peak season,” she said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(The other day, we deported 180 Chinese nationals who were arrested in Pasay. Other batches would follow in the next few weeks. They would probably be deported after Christmas because of the difficulty scheduling flights this peak season.)

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said Thursday that they were processing the deportation of around 180 Chinese workers arrested during the October raid for having no proper immigration documents.

It was the largest batch to be deported so far, according to PAOCC.

Sandoval said the Philippines deported more than 2,000 foreigners in 2023.

The BI was now expediting the deportation of other arrested individuals because their holding facility in Bicutan, Taguig City was full.

“‘Yan ang isa sa mga priority projects natin na talagang bilisan ang deportation nitong mga ito kasi medyo overcrowded na talaga ang ating facility natin in Bicutan. It’s supposed to hold just 100 [people], ngayon halos nasa 300 ‘yung laman ng ating facility,” she said.

(One of our priority projects is to fast-track their deportation because our facility in Bicutan is overcrowded. It's supposed to hold just 100 detainees, but now our facility has almost 300 detainees.)  — DVM, GMA Integrated News