Chinese POGO workers to receive “right conduct” training

House Committee on Games and Amusement Vice-Chair, Ronnie Ong, backs plans to offer additional training.

Philippines.- A PAGCOR initiative to provide “Good manners and right conduct” and culture-sensitivity training for Chinese POGO workers has received backing from the House Committee on Games and Amusement Vice-Chair, Ronnie Ong.

“It’s just like having visitors in your house. When they start breaking things and start pestering other people, it is just right that we should show them the way out… I’m proposing that we lay down our house rules before we let them inside our house,” Ong said.

“Strangely, this is not the case with the other Chinese, such as those coming from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, who are very well behaved and are respectful of Filipino laws, culture, and traditions,” he added.

Ong also urged PAGCOR to fast-track the issuance of Gaming Employment License (GEL) identification cards to all registered Chinese POGO workers.

“In partnership with the Bureau of Immigration, PAGCOR should also conduct regular inspections of all these POGO facilities to have a complete audit of all legitimate Chinese POGO personnel,” he said.

“PAGCOR should step up its campaign against illegal POGOs or the so-called NOGOs [Non-registered Offshore Gaming Operators]. One way to do this is to start requiring these Chinese POGO workers to have GEL IDs. PAGCOR promised to deliver this last January but it is already March but we still don’t see the GEL IDs,” Ong added.