The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said foreign workers employed in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and internet gambling licensee (IGL) companies will be given two months to exit the country following the ban on these establishments.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco also bared that at least 20,000 foreign POGO and IGL employees are expected to leave the country in the next 60 days.
Tansingco, quoted by GMA News, also said the BI will deny all pending and new applications for visas for POGO and IGL employees.
According to Tansingco, the gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has shared a list of foreign employees and warned that those who violate their directive “will be subjected to deportation proceedings.”
He also issued instructions to the BI intelligence division and fugitive search unit to intensify arrests against violators and illegal online gaming hubs
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier ordered an immediate ban on POGOs during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA)—a pronouncement that earned him resounding applause and a standing ovation from lawmakers and guests at the Batasan complex.
“We’re hearing the loud voices of the people against the POGOs…Effective today, all POGOs are banned,” Mr. Marcos said.
“I hereby instruct Pagcor (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) to wind down and cease the operations of POGOs by the end of the year,” he added.
The President said POGOs are disguised as legitimate entities, but their operations have ventured into illicit areas furthest from gaming such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, and even murder.
“The grave abuse and disrespect to our system of laws must stop,” he said.
The Department of Labor and Employment earlier said jobs and livelihood programs would be offered to Filipino workers affected by the ban on POGOs.
PAGCOR, for its part, said some 40,000 Filipino employees from POGO firms would be affected by the ban.
The BI also bared that it would revoke the visas granted to foreigners employed at POGOs, adding that it had already deported more than 2,300 foreign workers employed in scam hubs operating under the guise of gaming companies in the country.
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