20,000 POGO workers expected to leave Philippine before deadline

MANILA, Philippines — With barely a month to go before the deadline on Dec. 31, some 20,000 foreign Philippine offshore gaming operation (POGO) workers are expected to leave the country, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

As the deadline draws near, there are still POGO workers who have not yet complied with the downgrading of their visas and continue to remain in the country.

In a statement, BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said they are expecting around 20,000 more foreign POGO workers to leave in the next few weeks.

As of Nov. 7, a total of 21,757 foreign nationals associated with POGOs had voluntarily downgraded their work visas to temporary visitor visas.

Out of the approved applications for downgrading, 10,821 foreign nationals had already left the country.

In October, the BI issued cancellation orders to 12,106 foreign nationals who have not yet downgraded their visas. The order requires those who have not yet voluntarily downgraded their visas and are still in the Philippines to leave the country before the year ends.

The bureau advised foreign POGO workers to immediately prepare all their travel arrangements.

Viado warned those who would not leave before the deadline that they would be subjected to deportation proceedings and would be blacklisted.

The BI’s efforts for POGO workers to leave the country are in compliance with President Marcos’ order to ban POGOs, giving them until the end of the year to shut down their businesses.

The ban was issued after several criminal activities, such as illegal drugs, human trafficking, kidnapping and cyber scams, were reportedly discovered connected to rogue POGO hubs. — Mayen Jaymalin