Over 40K Filipinos to be affected by closure of offshore gaming operators

The number of profiled offshore gaming workers amounts to 79,335, including foreign nationals.

The Philippines.- Patrick Patriwirawan Jr., a director of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), has said that, according to data provided by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), 40,962 Filipino workers will be affected by the closure of offshore gaming operators by the end of the year. There are 79,335, workers including foreign nationals, but Patriwirawan said the priority is Filipino workers.

The majority of the profiled workers work for internet gaming licensees (IGLs), previously known as Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), in the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Central Visayas, earning salaries between PHP16,000 (US$285.76) and PHP22,000 (US$392.92).

The DOLE has announced that it will hold a job fair for workers who have been displaced from IGLs at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay on October 10. Some 70 employers are expected to take part. The DOLE is also giving financial support of up to PHP30,000 (US$535.80) to help impacted employees establish a small business.

See also: Philippine senator files resolution to investigate banks’ role in offshore gaming operators

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that foreign workers employed by offshore gaming operators have until October 15 to voluntarily return to their home countries. The POGO Closure Task Force has decided that from October 16, the visas of foreign offshore gaming workers will be changed to tourist visas. They will be required to leave the Philippines within 60 days or face involuntary repatriation.

The Task Force includes the DOJ, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), PAGCOR, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), and the Bureau of Immigration (BI). It aims to establish guidelines for the prohibition of offshore gaming operations by the end of the year as directed by president Marcos Jr.