121 foreign Pogo workers deported in 2025, more to follow – BI

INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Wednesday said it has deported 121 foreign workers from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) in 2025, with more deportations expected in the coming weeks.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval announced during a Palace briefing that 518 arrests have been made since the December 31, 2024 deadline for the mandatory departure of Pogo foreign workers.

“So, in just seven weeks, we have caught 518 and deported 121. We still hope that there will be more batches of deportation in the next few weeks, upon release of their travel documents and receipt of their outbound tickets and clearances,” said Sandoval.

READ: PAOCC nabs 6 South Koreans, 15 Filipinos in Pasay Pogo hub raid

Sandoval said a batch of 150 Chinese Pogo workers is already set to be deported next week.

Meanwhile, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) spokesperson Winston Casio, in the same press conference, said that as of December 2024, the BI, with their assistance, had identified 2,121 illegal foreign Pogo workers, not including those who voluntarily left the country.

He added that a total of 337 of these foreign nationals remain in PAOCC’s custodial facility.

READ: Tulfo sounds alarm; only 10% of Pogo workers were deported after deadline

“They are awaiting such deportation and repatriation in as much as we are also waiting for their legal documents, primarily their one-way travel documents, passports and/or NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) clearances,” he said.