Up to 7,000 Pogo workers seen to leave PH before Dec. 31 deadline

MANILA, Philippines — Up to 7,000 former workers of Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) hubs are expected to leave the country before the firm December 31 deadline, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday.

“We are expecting, perhaps about 6,000 or 7,000 are left to leave the country in the next few days,” BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in a public briefing.

Sandoval said these are among the 33,000 foreigners who worked under Pogo hubs. Most of them or 21,000 have also already downgraded their working visas.

READ: Pogo sites near Philippine military bases likened to ‘Trojan horse’

She urged the foreign nationals to voluntarily leave the country or else face deportation and blacklisting.

“If they have reason to come back to the Philippines, they should comply with the regulations,” she said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a total ban on Pogo during his State of the Nation Address in July, only giving them until the end of the year to wrap-up their operations.

Marcos made the drastic move against Pogo after the emergence of its links to illegal activities and national security risks.