January 3, 2025 | 11:06am
MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said that it will deport more than 11,000 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) workers who are still in the country.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced a ban on POGOs during his third State of the Nation Address in July 2024, giving legal POGO operators until the end of the year to wind up operations. Three days past the deadline, authorities are working to tie up loose ends.
In a statement on Friday, January 3, the BI said it will “deport a total of 11,254 foreign nationals involved in POGO operations in the country.”
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said the 11,254 individuals are foreigners who failed to downgrade their visas, as well as those who, despite downgrading their visas, did not leave the country before the Dec. 31, 2024 deadline.
Viado added that he has already ordered a search for POGO workers who are illegally staying in the country.
“They are considered illegal aliens now. Expect an intensified manhunt against these illegal aliens. The order of the President is clear. No more POGO in the Philippines. Foreign nationals who continue to disobey this will be arrested, deported, and blacklisted. No exceptions,” he said.
Companies hiding POGO workers must surrender them to authorities, the BI warned. The agency also cautioned that companies concealing foreign POGO workers could face legal action for harboring illegal aliens.
The BI said that 22,609 foreign POGO workers already left the country before the December 31 deadline.
The proliferation of POGOs began in the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte. However, as authorities raided more and more POGO dens, evidence of repeated illegal activities surfaced.
POGOs have become associated with crimes such as human trafficking, prostitution, scamming and more.
The case of former Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo added fuel to the fire. In 2024, a Senate probe into offshore gaming revealed evidence that she not only allegedly used her position to assist POGOs but also appears to be an illegal alien herself.
The crackdown on POGOs intensified as authorities sought to draw connections between Guo’s alleged illegal activities and those of other POGO operators.
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