BI to alien Pogo workers: 59-day leeway not for leisure, job hunt

MANILA – The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday reminded foreign workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) who have downgraded their working visas to use the 59 days to prepare for their departure.

BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the foreign workers have been given enough time to finish all their dealings, including securing documents.

“A downgrade of a foreign national’s working visa to a temporary visitor’s visa means the holders of these visas must be ready to depart from the Philippines,” she said in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing. “This is not for leisure or to find another job to wind down affairs. Pack up and buy a ticket to leave the country.”

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Foreign employees of Pogos have until Oct. 15 to downgrade their working visas, after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced a total ban on the establishments last July.

They have until yearend to wrap up operations.

A foreign national of an online gaming company who is supposed to leave the country after a downgrade of a working visa will still be subjected to deportation proceedings even if a new employer is found.

The foreign worker would be blacklisted from entering the Philippines, Sandoval said.

Based on the latest BI data, at least 12,000 foreign Pogo workers filed applications to downgrade their working visas. (PNA)