PAGCOR asks 12 POGOs be spared from Marcos ban; thousands expect to be affected

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has requested that 12 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) companies be spared from the nationwide ban.

During his third State of the Nation Address on Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  said  he is banning all POGOs in the country by the end of the year.

 PAGCOR made the appeal since 12 of the 43 POGO companies in the country are merely customer service agents for gaming companies.

In Maki Pulido’s Tuesday report on 24 Oras, PAGCOR said thousands of employees and businesses are expected to be affected by the POGO ban.

In condominium buildings in Pasay City where Chinese POGO workers reside, some locally run businesses rely on their income from POGO employees.

“Yung business po kasi dito mostly nag de-depend din po sa mga POGO worker kasi yun lang din first customer namin,” said April Fabello, a fruit store vendor.

(Businesses here mostly rely on POGO workers since they are our primary customers.)

She added that Marcos’ order banning  all POGOs will weaken many businesses and raises the possibility Filipinos like her might lose their jobs.

“Buti kung mawalan ng trabaho merong aaplayan agad e parang 50-50,” Fabello said.

(It would be good if you find a new job right away after losing your old one, but there is still a 50-50 chance you’ll find work right away.)

“Yung kinikita ko po dito tama lang sa pang araw araw na gastusin lalo may pamilya kami na sinusuportahan,” Katrina Marie Granada, a salon worker, said.

(My income in my current job is sufficient for our daily expenses, especially since I have a family to support.)

Fabello and Granada were excluded from the estimated 42,000 workers affected by the closure of POGOs, according to PAGCOR’s data.

“Kung sasama ang SBPO, humigit-kumulang nasa 40,000 to 42,000 dahil ang official na nagtatrabaho sa overseas gaming companies o IGL nasa 31,800 yata. Sabihin na humigit kumulang 31,000. Itong sinasabi na sa SBPO, halos almost 9,000 to 10,000 na. Kaya suma niyo malapit sa 40,000,” said PAGCOR chairperson and CEO Alejandro Tengco.

(If the SBPO is included, we estimate 40,000 to 42,000 POGO workers because about 31,800 people officially work in overseas gaming companies or IGL, or we can say at least 31,000. Then almost 9,000 to 10,000 are working in SBPO. That is why if you total it, it's about 40,000.)

This includes the 31,000 Filipinos directly employed in POGOs and connected to ancillary services connected to POGO hubs such as janitorial services. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it will try to help the affected POGO workers.

“We have to already lay down the plans of action kung anong klaseng intervention ang pwedeng itulong and not wait until December medyo mabigat kung dun pa lang tayo magpla-plano,” DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said.

(We have to already lay down the plans of action on what kind of intervention we can do to help and not wait until December since it is too much work if we start planning during that month.)

According to PAGCOR, there are 43 licensed POGO companies in the country.

Their exit plan is being sorted out as there are companies tied to contracts.

“Yun nga ang isa sa aking inutos agad kaninang umaga sa ating legal department ng pagcor, dahil baka balikan ako,” Tengco said.

(That is what I ordered to PAGCOR’s legal department this morning since I might be charged with it.)

In 2023, PAGCOR earned over P5 billion from POGOs, but the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said their looming removal will not become a big loss to the country.

“The POGO contributed less than one half of one percent of our GDP as of 2022. But I think, more important than just the economic numbers, I think the social cost and reputational cost to the country of hosting this kind of businesses is not good at all,” NEDA Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission welcomed Marcos’ move to ban all POGOs in the country, especially since some POGOs are involved in major crimes such as kidnapping, human trafficking and prostitution.

Some arrested POGO workers are also facing money laundering charges in other countries.

The Bureau of Immigration said since the ban on POGOs will take effect, the agency will also cancel the visas it has granted to foreign citizens working in POGOs. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News