Philippines: POGOs to restart activities at the end of April

Despite a number of controversies during the Coronavirus crisis, POGOs are expecting business as usual once the lockdown it lifted.

Philippines.- POGO operators expect to be able to resume business when the current Coronavirus lockdown in the country is lifted on April 30.

“POGOs will continue as long they are allowed by law. We will just continue our initiative to regulate and ensure that these firms are compliant with labor and immigration laws as well as payment of taxes,” Labour Undersecretary, Dominique Tutay, told local press. 

POGOs have been hit with a number of controversies since the start of the Coronavirus outbreak, such as accusations of activities related to sex trafficking, botched work visas, money-laundering, and kidnapping. 

Tutay said the department was currently investigating up to 2,000 foreign nationals that were allegedly working in POGOs without the required foreign work visa. 

Last month, the labor department also found 4,000 foreign nationals in POGO firms that were using the same Tax Identification Numbers in their work visa. 

These concerns were set to be discussed and resolved in March, but the investigations were suspended due to the lockdown in Luzon.