POGO foreign workers given until October 15 to depart PH

Foreign workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) are given until October 15 to voluntarily downgrade their visas and leave the country, Justice Undersecretary Nicky Ty said Friday.

“Ang napagkasunduan ay bibigyan ang mga manggagawa na ito hanggang October 15 na voluntarily mag-depart sa Pilipinas (We agreed that these workers will be given until October 15 to leave),” Ty said on Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

According to Ty, the 9G visas of these workers will be downgraded to tourist visas starting October 16.

He said that once downgraded, the foreigners will be given until the end of the year to leave the country.

“Tapos kung hindi pa sila makaalis pagkatapos ng panahon na iyon ay mas kikilos na ang pamahalaan, ano? Doon na papasok 'yung ibang mga paraan natin katulad ng deportation,” he said.

(If they are still unable to depart after that, the government will begin to move. We will begin to deport them.)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) previously warned that foreigners whose visas are forcefully cancelled will be blacklisted.

In a statement released Thursday, the DOJ said that a task force has been formed for the implementation of the total ban on POGOs.

The Task Force POGO Closure is composed of the DOJ, Department of Labor and Employment, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, and the Bureau of Immigration.

The task force convened at the DOJ on Wednesday.

Ty said that the task force will address the closure of POGO establishments, the welfare of Filipinos working in such establishments, as well as the deportation of its foreign workers.

Aside from this, he said the task force also discussed what to do regarding illegal POGOs.

“Kung hindi ako nagkakamali, parang 40 na lang ang mga lisensyadong POGO, no, o IGL mula sa datos ng PAGCOR. Ang tantya namin marami pa diyan na hindi lisensyado at underground,” he said.

(If I'm not mistaken, there are only around 40 licensed POGO or IGL operators based on PAGCOR's data. We estimate that there are still many more unlicensed and underground operators out there.)

During his third State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned all POGOs in the country. He instructed PAGCOR to cease all operations of POGOs by the end of the year.—AOL, GMA Integrated News