Villanueva asks gov’t: Protect foreigners lured into illegal gambling jobs in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Joel Villanueva has asked the government to assure the protection of foreigners lured into illegal gambling operations in the country.

Villanueva also called on the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to also safeguard these jobs, which could be then offered to millions of unemployed Filipinos.

“We urge the government, especially, Pagcor, DOLE, NBI and BI, to coordinate with each other to ensure that jobs are protected for the millions of unemployed Filipinos, and foreigners who are lured here illegally will be able to get protection in our country,” Villanueva, who chairs the Senate committee on labor, said in a statement on Thursday.

These remarks came after the Chinese embassy issued an earlier statement claiming that some of the foreign nationals — mostly Chinese nationals — caught in illegal gambling operations like Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs)  were illegally recruited without official working permits.

The Chinese embassy also expressed concern over plans by Pagcor to have POGO involved Chinese transferred to “self-contained communities or hubs.” Pagcor Vice President Jose Tria said in a previous interview with One News that the planned move was due to reports and concerns about the foreigners’ disorderly behavior.

However, the Chinese embassy said such a move  may “infringe on the basic legal rights of the Chinese citizens concerned”.

READ: China frets over planned transfer of POGO workers to ‘self-contained’ hubs

READ: Cavite, Clark to host mega ‘Pogo’ hubs

“The Chinese side hopes and urges relevant departments of the Philippine Government to pay more attention to China’s position and concerns and take concrete and effective measures to prevent and punish the Philippine casinos, POGOs and other forms of gambling entities for their illegal employment of Chinese citizens and crack down related crimes that hurt the Chinese citizens,” the embassy said.

READ: China wants Philippines to ‘punish’ POGOs, casinos illegally recruiting Chinese workers

Meanwhile, Villanueva echoed the sentiments of the Chinese embassy, saying that the two countries should work together in combatting illegal gambling.

“We agree with the Chinese ambassador that the Philippine government should work closely with China in combatting gambling, and gambling-related crimes,” he explained.

“Earlier this week, we filed a resolution seeking an inquiry in aid of legislation on the influx of illegal foreign workers, especially in POGOs, and the impact of POGOs to the country’s economy, job generation efforts, peace and order, among other concerns,” he noted.

“Like the ambassador, we share his concern that online gambling will be a hotbed for money launderers and will result in more crimes.”   /muf

READ: WHAT WENT BEFORE: China-based offshore gaming firms in PH