{"id":777021929,"date":"2025-01-13T06:21:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T09:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777021929"},"modified":"2026-04-22T02:48:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T05:48:54","slug":"philippine-lces-ordered-to-intensify-inspections-to-phase-out-offshore-gaming-operators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/philippine-lces-ordered-to-intensify-inspections-to-phase-out-offshore-gaming-operators","title":{"rendered":"Philippine LCEs ordered to intensify inspections to phase out offshore gaming operators"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Authorities in the Philippines aim to eradicate offshore gaming operators from the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Philippines.- Interior secretary Jonvic Remulla <\/strong>has ordered local chief executives (LCEs) to strengthen measures to completely eradicate remaining offshore gaming operators in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remulla issued this instruction following the Bureau of Immigration’s arrest of 400 illegal aliens<\/a> allegedly linked to offshore gaming operators in a raid in Para\u00f1aque City. He said: \u201cThis serves as a warning to all LCEs: fulfil your duties effectively and ensure thorough inspections of all buildings. You will be held accountable if we discover you entering the premises without having reported to us.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remulla also mentioned that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will request an explanation from the local government unit of Para\u00f1aque City regarding the presence of any offshore gaming operator-like companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this month, Remulla instructed all local government units (LGUs) to provide a \u201cno offshore gaming operator certificate\u201d by the end of January 2025. In a memorandum dated January 2, Remulla mandated that all LGUs conduct regular inspections of business establishments to confirm the absence of covert operations. LGUs have also been directed to collaborate with the Philippine National Police to identify any hidden offshore gaming activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Philippines News Agency, Gilbert Cruz<\/strong>, the executive director undersecretary of the Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission (PAOCC), indicated that cases have been initiated against LCEs for their negligence in curbing widespread offshore gaming operations. Cruz said that local officials cannot claim ignorance, particularly since these businesses are usually active within communities, where they should know such operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Philippines\u2019 BI warns companies to avoid hiring former foreign offshore gaming workers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Bureau of Immigration (BI)<\/strong> has warned companies and people to avoid harbouring illegal foreign workers from offshore gaming operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement, BI officer-in-charge commissioner\u00a0Joel Anthony Viado\u00a0<\/strong>said: \u201cThe Bureau will not hesitate to file charges against anyone found violating Section 46 of the Philippine Immigration Act of 1940\u201d and reminded businesses that harbouring undocumented foreign nationals is a serious offence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viado\u2019s statement follows the BI\u2019s announcement of deportation proceedings targeting over 11,000 former offshore gaming workers who failed to leave the country before December 31, 2024, the deadline set by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for foreign workers employed by offshore gaming operators to voluntarily return to their home countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viado also urged the public to report any suspected violations, assuring that all reports would be treated with confidentiality. He said: \u201cThis is not just about compliance; it\u2019s about safeguarding the integrity of our immigration system and ensuring that only those with legitimate purposes are allowed to stay in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See also: <\/strong>Philippines DOJ warns foreign offshore gaming workers who are still in the country<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Authorities in the Philippines aim to eradicate offshore gaming operators from the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":777012806,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"The Philippine government is escalating its crackdown on illegal offshore gaming operators (POGOs), with the Interior Secretary mandating local executives to eradicate such operations and the Bureau of Immigration initiating mass deportations of associated foreign workers. This intensified enforcement includes holding local officials accountable for negligence and warning businesses against harboring undocumented individuals. The directive aims for complete eradication by January 2025.","focusai_entities":"Jonvic Remulla, Bureau of Immigration, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Presidential Anti-Organised Crime Commission, Gilbert Cruz, Joel Anthony Viado, Department of Justice","focusai_location":"Philippines, Para\u00f1aque City","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.95), operator_casino (0.85), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.75), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Impact on Legitimate POGOs?","query":"What are the specific implications of this intensified crackdown on the remaining legitimate, licensed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and their B2B suppliers, particularly regarding operational continuity and regulatory scrutiny?"},{"label":"Economic Repercussions?","query":"How will the complete eradication of offshore gaming operators, both legal and illegal, impact the Philippines' economy, particularly in terms of real estate, employment, and foreign direct investment, given the sector's historical contribution?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[439,16333],"tags":[23911,4138,15789],"class_list":["post-777021929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legal-news","category-south-east-asia-news","tag-gambling-regulation","tag-online-gambling","tag-pogos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777021929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777021929"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777021929\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777021942,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777021929\/revisions\/777021942"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777012806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777021929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777021929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777021929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}