Philippines DOLE to hold job fair for former offshore gaming workers

The job fair for displaced workers will be held on October 10 in Parañaque City.

The Philippines.- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has announced a job fair for workers who have been displaced from internet gaming licensees (IGLs), previously known as Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

DOLE-National Capital Region assistant director Jude Thomas Trayvilla said during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas forum that the job fair will take place in Parañaque City on October 10. He said over 19,000 employees in roles such as administration, encoding, human resources, liaison, finance and information technology will be affected by the closure of the companies.

Trayvilla said: “As of September 16, 48 IGLs have already furnished a list of Filipino employees who may be affected by their closure. We have a total of 19,341 employees and most of them are earning between PHP16,000 (US$287) to PHP22,000 (US$395).”

DOLE-NCR assistant director Olivia Obrero-Samson said that around 70 employers are expected to participate in the job fair.

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

On September 10, senator Sherwin Gatchalian confirmed that the Senate is working to put president Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s decision to ban offshore gambling operations into legislation as soon as possible. Speaking at a press conference, he said he expected a bill would be ready in two weeks.

The senator said the bill would “prohibit corporations from taking bets from outside”.