MANILA – The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) appealed for the exclusion of 12 Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) companies from a nationwide ban.
According to PAGCOR chairperson and chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco, 12 of the 43 POGO companies in the Philippines must be exempted from the ban as they are merely customer service agents.
“Yung 12 sa 43 na POGO companies ay customer service agent para sa mga gaming companies kaya inaapela natin na makaiwas sila sa ban,” Tengco said.
During his third State of the Nation Address on Monday afternoon, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. announced the prohibition on all POGO operations in the country effective immediately.
According to the Chief Executive, POGO operations had ventured into illicit areas such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitutions, human trafficking, kidnapping, torture, and murder.
PAGCOR said some 40,000 Filipino employees from POGO firms are expected to be affected by the ban.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it will start revoking the visas granted to foreigners employed in POGO firms following the immediate ban on tonline gambling companies.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the agency would coordinate with PAGCOR and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for the cancellation of permits issued to the POGO hubs and their foreign employees.
Tansingsco also said he shared President Marcos’ view that the social costs of POGO hubs outweighed its benefits as the BI already deported over 2,300 foreign workers employed in scam hubs./PN
