GGRAsia – No exit exceptions on POGO foreign staff: govt official

No exit exceptions on POGO foreign staff: govt official

Jul 30, 2024 Newsdesk Latest News, Philippines, Top of the deck

There will be no exceptions in terms of the need to leave the country for the circa 20,000 foreigners officially estimated to work for offshore online gaming operators in the Philippines, said on Monday Dana Sandoval, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Immigration.

Ms Sandoval (pictured in a screen shot from Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon) confirmed that those workers would have their work permits cancelled and would need to leave the country within 60 days after their companies ceased operations. She was speaking during a morning show called Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

On July 22, the Philippine leader, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, said that Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) – now known as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) – would need to end their business in that country by year-end.

Asked about foreign workers with families in the country, Ms Sandoval said the bureau currently had no leeway for adjustments.

“As of now, we do not have room for any adjustments in the procedure. They would have to leave the country,” the official stated.

Ms Sandoval also said that foreign workers would not be allowed to change the status of their stay in order to remain in the country.

“This is the limitation of their stay here. Since [the operations of their companies] have been downgraded, they would have to leave the country. They could no longer extend further. They could no longer convert it to any other type of visa,” she added.

Ms Sandoval said the majority of the 20,000 foreign workers employed by offshore gaming operators are Chinese nationals.

According to a recent report in the Philippine Star news outlet, most of the offshore gaming workers affected by the ban have been based in Metro Manila, with some offshore operators also in Laguna, Cavite, and Central Luzon.

As of July 16, there were 38 IGL permit holders allowed to offer gaming to customers offshore, and seven provisional licensees, according to the country’s gaming regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor). The regulator said that 43 licensees were currently operational.