DOLE starts profiling of POGO workers to be displaced by ban

The government has started profiling workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) who will be rendered jobless after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered the stop of all their operations by the end of the year.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Bureau of Local Employment director Patrick Patriwirawan Jr., the agency has already profiled 27,747 of the 40,692 Filipino workers under the POGO industry based on figures from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).

The latest reports show that there were 19,754 workers profiled in Metro Manila, 142 in Region III or Central Luzon, 7,387 in Calabarzon, and 14 in Region VII or Central Visayas. They were reported to have had an average pay of P16,000 to P22,000.

“Ang kagawaran ay may sinusunod na framework o balangkas kung saan kapagka magkakaroon ng disruption sa labor market, sinisimulan natin ang pagpo-profile ng mga workers,” Patriwirawan said on the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing on Wednesday.

“Matapos nating ma-profile ang mga workers, meron tayong lineup or menu ng mga services na mga binibigay sa kanila, katulad ng sa pamamagitan ng ating mga public employment service offices,” he added.

(The department follows a framework wherein when there is a disruption on the labor market, we start with profiling workers. Once they are profiled, we give them a lineup or a menu of services they can avail such as those through public employment service offices.)

Patriwirawan said the government will offer employment facilitation services such as job matching and placements, and career development support for those who want to upskill through agencies such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

The displaced workers can also avail of entrepreneurship development programs, under which the government will provide up to P30,000 as capital for those who want to start their own businesses.

Moving forward, Patriwirawan said the DOLE will be coordinating with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to discuss if industry partners could absorb the displaced workers, especially those in the information technology-business process management (IT-BPM) field.

The DOLE is set to hold a specialized job fair for the displaced workers next month with 70 companies expected to participate, involving IT-BPM, hospitality, tourism, general services, wholesale and retail industries.

Marcos in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July announced the ban on POGOs, and ordered PAGCOR to wind down and stop all operations by the end of the year.

A cost-benefit analysis by the Department of Finance (DOF) showed that the POGO industry had a net cost of P99.52 billion to the Philippines, equivalent to 0.41% of the country’s economy as of 2021.

This comes as POGOs saw a total cost of P265.74 billion to the economy, of which P84.87 billion were direct economic costs — P39.94 billion on the estimated decrease in foreign investments due to crime, P28.62-billion decrease in inbound tourism revenues, P15.42-billion decrease in foreign investments due to corruption perception, and P0.5 billion on additional costs for law enforcement and immigration. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News