DOLE eyes completion of Pinoy POGO workers profiling by September

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is targeting to complete its ongoing profiling of Filipino workers affected by the POGO ban in September. 

In a media briefing Friday, Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma called on Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) to submit their list of employees.

“Ang target namin ay not later than next month dapat hawak na namin ang profile ng mga manggagawa nang sa ganon mai-match na namin sila,” Laguesma said. 

(Our target is not later than next month, we should already have the profile of the workers so we can already match them.)

DOLE started the profiling of the affected workers after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.  announced the ban on all POGOs in the country during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last month. 

According to Laguesma, profiling aims to inspect the affected workers’ skill set, their wages, and job descriptions. It will also show if the workers need to undergo upskilling, retraining, and training under Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

“Nakalatag na ang aming possible interventions eh. Job facilitation, livelihood, training, and retraining and even matching them sa available na jobs,” he said. 

(We already have our possible interventions like job facilitation, livelihood, training and retraining and job matching.)

Some 15,000 Filipino POGO workers in 34 IGLs will be impacted by the ban, Laguesma earlier said, with at least 5,000 from the Calabarzon region.

However, latest data from the DOLE-National Capital Region (NCR) Office showed around 15,000 Filipino workers in 41 IGLs in the region were impacted by the ban. 

“Nagbabalak na ang DOLE sa tulong ng pribadong sektor ng tinatawag na focus specific or sectoral jobs fair para matingnan kung ano ang mapapasukan na trabaho,” said Laguesma. 

(DOLE, with the help from the private sector, is eyeing to conduct a focus specific or sectoral jobs fair to see what jobs are available.)

“‘Yung ayaw magtuloy ng trabaho, baka mag-qualify sila sa pamamagitan ng pagkakaloob ng DOLE ng livelihood program. Kasama d'yan ano ba ang karagdagang programs ng DOLE na pwedeng maipagkaloob lalo na kung may mga anak na nag-aaral…Di lang namin tinitingnan ang epekto sa manggagawa, tinignan din po natin ang pwedeng maging intervention o assistance ng DOLE sa kanilang pamilya,” the Labor chief added. 

(Employees who opt to stop working may qualify with our livelihood program. This includes other programs that DOLE may offer especially to those who have children. The DOLE not only consider the effects on the worker, we are also looking for possible interventions for their families.)

Earlier, PAGCOR said some 40,000 Filipino employees from POGO firms would be affected by the ban.—AOL, GMA Integrated News