DOJ sees repatriation of 40K Chinese POGO workers
JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla will meet the Chinese ambassador to the country on Thursday, September 22, to discuss the repatriation of some 40,000 Chinese Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) personnel.
“He (Remulla) will meet with the Chinese Ambassador Thursday afternoon to speak about the cancelled POGO companies as listed by Pagcor. There must be a coordinated effort between the two countries to bring them back to China given that they have no more basis to stay here in the Philippines, ” Justice Department spokesperson Atty. Mico Clavano said in a message to reporters.
When asked how many Chinese workers will be repatriated, Clavano said, “There are 175 cancelled POGO companies with varying number of employees each. We are expecting around 40,000 total Chinese Nationals to be brought back to China.”
The meeting will be held at the DOJ main office in Manila, Clavano continued.
President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. is mulling banning POGO firms following the spate of kidnappings, corruption and other criminal activities linked to them.
Sen. Imee Marcos said the matter was a “hot topic” during the latter’s birthday celebration, where they agreed that the social costs of POGOs in the country far outweigh their revenue benefits.
“If we cannot regulate (POGOs), then we better stop them. There are now abductions and killings. What’s happening is already sordid and gruesome. They’ve been here for years, and obviously, we could not regulate them,” the senator said.
“It’s embarrassing before the international community that all these are happening – even if they involve Chinese nationals – in our country,” she stressed.
The Philippine National Police recently rescued 43 Chinese POGO personnel allegedly under human trafficking conditions from licensed POGO firm Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. in Angeles City.
Two more workers were recused by authorities last month from a POGO in Mabalacat town.
PNP records showed that there had already been a total of 15 POGO-related kidnapping cases in 2022.
