THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) yesterday gave foreign workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) 60 days to leave the country following President Marcos Jr.’s order to stop the operation of all offshore gambling firms by the end of the year.
The President gave the order during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday.
Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said foreign nationals who are working in POGOs, which have been renamed as and Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), as well as their related service providers, need to already “wind down their affairs and leave the country.”
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor) estimates that some 23,000 foreigners will be displaced with the cessation of POGO operations.
Tansingco also said pending and new visa applications for POGO and IGL workers will be denied by the BI.
BI spokesperson Dana Krizia Sandoval said the Tansingco will issue an order on Friday, July 26, to formalize his announcement.
Tansingco said foreign workers who will refuse to heed the BI order will be “subjected to deportation proceedings.”
“I already instructed our intelligence division and fugitive search unit to intensify arrests against violators and illegal online gaming hubs,” he said.
On Tuesday, Sandoval said the BI can easily identify legitimate foreign POGO workers.
“In terms of identification, we would be able to extract our data base who are these individuals who have been issued with working visas and who have been petitioned by these online gaming companies,” Sandoval said, adding that once they get the names of the companies from the Pagcor, identifying the workers would be easy.
Prior to the President’s directive, Tansingco said the BI had already deported more than 2,300 workers from scam hubs operating in the guise of gaming companies in the Philippines.
POGO ASSETS
Sen. Risa Hontiveros said the recently passed Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA) law allows the government to seize and use properties of POGOs which have been proven to be involved in large-scale scams and human trafficking.
“POGO man o IGL, itong buong industriya ng offshore gaming ay ginagamit para sa sankatukak na krimen: scamming, prostitution, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping, at marami pang iba (Whether they are POGOs or IGLs, I believe that the offshore gaming industry has been used by syndicates as a front for the commission of numerous crimes, such as scamming, prostitution, human trafficking, torture, kidnapping and others). I am pleased that my amendment granting the government authority to take POGO assets and properties was included in this measure,” Hontiveros said.
The senator’s amendment states that “all properties, tools, instruments, and/or any other non-liquid assets used” in committing financial scams “shall be subject to civil forfeiture.”
The amendment also states that seized assets can be released to the Department of Justice (DOJ) “for operational support and victim protection, including victims of human trafficking involved in the commission of prohibited acts and other offenses.”
“Ngayon at inanunsyo na ang pag-ban sa mga POGO o mga IGL, maraming mga ari-arian na pwedeng magamit para ibigay sa mga biktima ng mga krimeng dala ng POGO sa bansa (Now that POGOs have been banned by the government, their assets can be used to help victims of POGO-related crimes),” Hontiveros said.
“The AFASA Law and the POGO/IGL ban are both welcome developments that need to work in tandem. Walang katumbas ang hirap at pagdurusa ng mga taong nabiktima ng mga POGO (We cannot compensate for the sufferings of the victims of crimes related to POGO operations), but I hope that through this law, the government can make amends by giving their much-deserved reparations,” she also said.
“While we celebrate the POGO/IGL ban, we must continue to ensure that accountability is exacted from perpetrators and justice is fully served for victim-survivors,” she added.
WORKERS’ BENEFITS
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) yesterday said it will make sure that workers to be displaced by the ban on POGOs will get the benefits they are entitled to.
Speaking at the Post-SONA Discussions held in Pasay City, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said part of their assistance to displaced POGO workers will be to help them claim their benefits from their companies.
“We will assist them in claiming their benefits that they are entitled to get from their employers,” said Laguesma.
Under the Labor Code, in cases of closures or cessation of operations of establishments, the separation pay of an employee shall be equivalent to one month pay or at least one-half month pay for every year of service, whichever is higher.
Additionally, the labor chief reminded workers of their unemployment insurance benefit from the Social Security System (SSS).
“We are also looking at making sure they qualify for the unemployment insurance provided by the SSS,” said Laguesma.
The unemployment insurance is a cash benefit granted by SSS to covered employees who are involuntarily separated from employment due to retrenchment, downsizing, closure or cessation of operation, among others. — With Gerard Naval
