Malacañang to issue EO on POGO ban —PAGCOR

Malacañang is set to issue an executive order (EO) outlining the guidelines for the ban of the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said Wednesday. 

During a hearing of the Senate games and amusement committee,  PAGCOR Chairperson Al Tengco said the EO may be issued within the month. 

“Sa pagkakaalam ko binubuo na ‘yung EO. Ayoko ipre-empt sila…Sa aking pagkakalam, baka lumabas na this month,”  Tengco said. 

(As far as I know, the EO is already being drafted. I don't want to preempt them but it might be released this month.)

“‘Yung EO dina-draft para dun na nakalahad lahat. Ano nga ba, sino nga ba ang maapektuhan? Ito ba ay kasama ang nasa export processing zones? Meron kasing bali-balita 'yung iba nililipat sa export processing zones. Inaasahan natin na ‘yung EO ang makakapagbigay ng entire guidelines kung paano ipapatupad,” he said. 

(The EO is being drafted to cover everything. What and who will be affected? Will it include those in export processing zones? There have been rumors that some are transferring to export processing zones. We expect the EO to provide the entire guidelines on how it will be implemented.)

Tengco was responding to the query of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, who asked whether there is a document formalizing the ban on POGOs. 

During his third State of the Nation Address in July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered a ban on all POGOs in the country after a series of raids against illegal POGOs revealed equipment used for torture, love scams, and other crimes.

Latest data from PAGCOR showed a total of 28,462 Filipino workers and  20,421 foreign workers will be affected by directive. 

Meanwhile, Tengco said some POGO companies expressed intent to voluntarily wind down operations including Island Cove in Cavite, which committed to close on December 15. 

“Ang magandang balita, mayroon na pong ilang mga kompanya ang sumulat sa PAGCOR at boluntaryo na nagsabi na magwa-wind down na slowly,” he said. 

(The good news is that several companies have already written to PAGCOR and have voluntarily offered to slowly wind down their operations.)

“Naniniwala akong walang magiging malaking problema in terms of us cancelling all the licensees. Uulitin ko nga, malaking hamon ito sa BI at sa law enforcement agencies,” he added. 

(I believe there won't be a huge problem if we cancel all the licenses. I'll repeat, this is a massive challenge for the BI and law enforcement agencies.)

BI to cancel POGO workers' visa by October

The Bureau of Immigration (BI) is set to cancel the work visas of foreign POGO and internet gaming licensee (IGL) employees, 59 days before the end of the year or by October, the PAGCOR chief said.

9G visa is a type of work visa issued to foreigners working in the Philippines.

“Noong August 27, nagpatawag ako ng pulong sa lahat ng may lisensya. Nakarating naman lahat ng licensees. Sa pulong nandon ang DOLE, BI, DOJ, PAOCC at PAGCOR,” said Tengco.

(On August 27, I called for a meeting with all license holders. All licensees attended. In attendance were representatives from DOLE, BI, DOJ, PAOCC, and PAGCOR.)

“D'un inanusyo ng BI ang pagkakansela ng 9G visas…Dun sa aming inter-agency meeting sa Malacañang nasabi na hindi naman pwede na sa December 31 lang ma-cancel ang visa na 9G…Kaya minarapat na 59 days prior to December 31,” he added. 

(There, the BI announced the cancellation of 9G visas...During our inter-agency meeting at Malacañang, it was stated that it's not possible to cancel the 9G visas by December 31 alone...So it was decided to do so 59 days prior to December 31.)

The BI likewise proposed the deployment of mobile teams to POGO companies with at least 3,000 workers to avoid crowding in their office. 

In July,  the Immigration Bureau said foreign POGO workers will be given at least 60 days to exit the Philippines. All pending and new applications for visas of POGO and IGL employees. 

The Labor Department, for its part, cancelled alien employment permits (AEP) of some POGO workers. It is also conducting a job matching for  the affected Filipino employees. —AOL, GMA Integrated News