8,000 foreign Pogo workers still in PH with tourist visas, says BI

INQUIRER file photo/Alexis Corpuz

MANILA, Philippines — Less than two weeks before the Dec. 31 deadline for Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hubs to cease operations, around 8,000 foreign Pogo workers who downgraded their work visas to tourist visas have yet to voluntarily leave the country, according to the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

Of the approximately 33,000 foreign Pogo workers registered with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., an estimated 23,000 to 24,000 have voluntarily departed the country after downgrading their visas, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said on Wednesday.

“But there is a substantial number (of workers who still remain in the country), I think about 7,000 to 8,000,” he said during the BI’s year-end press briefing.

READ: Philippines deports 2,300 Pogo workers to China, other Asian countries

Viado clarified that the foreign nationals working in Pogos were not limited to Chinese individuals but also included those from other Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

“There are even some from Africa. So it involves various nationalities—it’s not confined to just one nationality,” he said.

‘Unaccounted for’

But Viado also pointed out that a small portion, around 1,000 foreigners, remained “unaccounted for” as they had not yet applied for the voluntary downgrading of their visas.

“But we will continue to seek them out also,” he said.

Following President Marcos’ order to ban Pogos in the country, which he announced during his State of the Nation Address in July, the BI, under the directive of the Department of Justice, allowed foreign Pogo workers to voluntary downgrade their work visas (9g) until Oct. 18.

After that window, those who volunteered to downgrade to tourist visas were given until Dec. 31 to voluntarily leave the country.

The grace period, according to officials, should give them enough time to wind down their business before totally closing operations.

The visas of the 1,000 workers still unaccounted for were canceled.

The cancellation came with an “order to leave,” but Viado said they still have until Dec. 31 to downgrade.

“Beyond Dec. 31, if they fail to downgrade, visit our office, and leave, they will be blacklisted and subject to deportation proceedings. That is what will happen to those who fail to voluntarily depart and downgrade within the period specified by the bureau and other agencies,” the BI chief added.

‘Guerrilla’ operations

With the deportations ongoing in batches, Viado said the bureau remained on the lookout for large Pogo operations still defying the ban by splintering into smaller, “guerrilla”-style operations.

“We continue to pursue them, in cooperation with other agencies involved in this matter, in line with the President’s directive to sustain efforts in shutting down and cracking down on these Pogo companies,” he said.

President Marcos issued a warning last week to those still running guerrilla or rogue Pogo and internet gaming licensees (IGLs) after the cancellation of their licenses.

He earlier directed local governments to intensify their intelligence-gathering on Pogo remnants in their communities.