INQUIRER file photo / ALEXIS CORPUZ
MANILA, Philippines — More than 10,000 foreign Philippine offshore gaming operator (Pogo) workers have already applied for visa downgrading, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Monday.
The figure is over 25 percent of the 38,773 foreign Pogo workers reported by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to the labor department as of Oct. 1.
Article continues after this advertisement“We are expediting the downgrading process to comply with the President’s directive. We encourage Pogo workers to file as early as possible to avoid complications,” Viado said.
FEATURED STORIES GLOBALNATION Putin hosts summit to show West it can't keep Russia off global stage GLOBALNATION China says it reached 'resolution' with India on contested border issues GLOBALNATION Eyes on the prize: One man rides high to reach his goalVisa downgrading changes a foreign national’s work visa to a temporary visitor visa, allowing them to legally remain in the country for 59 days as they settle their affairs before departure.
The immigration chief noted that the 59-day period after Oct. 15 aligns with the President’s Pogo ban, as announced in his State of the Nation Address in July, and the directive for foreign Pogo workers to leave the country by the end of the year.
Article continues after this advertisementAs part of the government’s coordinated efforts to address the closure of Pogo operations, an interagency task force has been established.
Article continues after this advertisementThis task force includes the BI, Department of Justice, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Pagcor, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation and Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
Article continues after this advertisementThe BI emphasized that the procedures for visa downgrading had been simplified, leaving no room for foreign Pogo workers to delay compliance.
Those who do not leave the country by Dec. 31 would face deportation proceedings and be blacklisted from re-entering the Philippines, it added.
Article continues after this advertisementMr. Marcos ordered the Pogo ban following the involvement of many in “illicit areas furthest from gaming, such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even murder.” INQ
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