SENATOR Win Gatchalian urged the Department of Labor and Employment to adopt a proactive approach that would lead to the cancellation of alien employment permits (AEPs) issued to foreign workers in the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) industry as effectivity of the ban on POGOs draws near.

“POGO entities are morphing into something else so they could stay in the country and continue their scamming activities,” Gatchalian noted as he interpellated on DOLE’s proposed budget for 2025.

“We need a very proactive approach to cancel and eventually send these workers to their country of origin and we need the entire government machinery to work together to cut the legal basis for these individuals to stay in the Philippines,” he stressed.

The legal basis for POGO operations in the country is set to expire by the end of the year, after which a ban will take effect.

According to DOLE, about 15,819 AEPs were issued in 2024 alone. About 36,000 AEPs have already been canceled since the President announced in July a ban on POGOs by the end of the year. The department said it is coordinating closely with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to ensure that the working visas of foreigners with POGO-related AEPs are canceled and they are prevented from staying illegally in the country.

At the same time, Gatchalian urged the labor department to step up its employment facilitation programs for Filipino POGO workers to ensure that those displaced from the industry would be absorbed by the labor market.

“This is one of the things that we are worried about — the displacement of Filipino workers. So, I urge the department to continue with job fairs and other programs for local POGO workers so that displaced workers would be given meaningful jobs,” Gatchalian said. DOLE said about 27,590 Filipinos were employed by POGOs.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Camille P. Balagtas