POGO Workers’ Deportation Starts In October

About 3,000 Chinese employees of Philippine offshore gaming operators are being eyed for deportation next month as the Department of Justice (DOJ) begins rounding up an estimated 40,000 workers of illegal POGOs in the country in hopes of deporting all of them before the year ends.

The first batch of arrests for Chinese POGO workers would be made in the first week of October and is expected to round up 2,000 to 3,000 employees of 15 illegal POGOs for deportation by the month’s third week, according to DOJ spokesman Mico Clavano.

“As per our quick computation, because of 175 POGOs that had their licenses canceled, it’s about 40,000 POGO employees or Chinese nationals who are still here in the country despite the cancellation of their companies’ license,” Clavano said during the “Laging Handa” public briefing on Monday, Sept. 26.

Clavano said Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had already met with the Chinese embassy to ensure the “smooth” deportation of the POGO employees.

The deportation of the 40,000 employees is expected to be carried out in batches until December.

The DOJ has custody of about 281 overstaying Chinese workers, all of whom are already being prepared for deportation.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. earlier canceled the permits of 175 POGO companies following the string of POGO-related crimes, such as kidnapping, murder and prostitution, whose victims and perpetrators are usually Chinese.

“Secretary Remulla called for a meeting to stop this kind of (criminal) behavior because when you see the videos, what Chinese nationals are doing here is dangerous,” Clavano said.

“And the direction of Secretary Remulla is to make sure our Filipino citizens are secure in their lives, that it won’t go to the point that Filipinos would be the victims of these crimes,” he added.

Clavano underscored that law enforcement agencies are continuously investigating POGO-related crimes.