Some 3,000 foreign workers from Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) with downgraded visas have already left the country, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.
During a meeting of the “Task Force POGO Closure,” BI Officer-in-Charge Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado, reported that as of Sept. 24, they have downgraded 5,955 visas.
Of the total, some 55 percent are already out of the Philippines. The task force is composed of the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, and the BI.
Also in attendance were representatives of the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Viado said teams have been formed to personally go to POGOs, now known as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), and implement downgrading on the spot.
He added that DOLE representatives will likewise join them during service days to receive surrendered alien employment permits of the POGO workers.
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