BI to pursue delinquent POGO workers

THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it would pursue foreign employees of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) who failed to voluntarily file for downgrading of their visas and continue operating on a smaller scale.

The voluntary filing for downgrading of POGO workers' visas ended on October 15 without extension.

«Because of the closure of the big [POGO] companies, there are lots of employees that formed smaller backyard online gaming scan hubs located in resorts or residential areas, among other places that are not noticeable. That's the focus of our operations now. We are confident that we will be able to arrest more by December 31,» Immigration spokesman Dana Sandoval said on Wednesday.

Sandoval added that out of the more than 30,000 POGO workers, 12,000 have voluntarily downgraded their visas.

«Those who will continue to hide and defy the government's directive to voluntarily downgrade their visas would be arrested and subjected to deportation proceedings after December 31,» she said.

Visa downgrading allows foreign nationals to revert their status from a work visa to a temporary visitor visa, thereby enabling them to remain legally in the Philippines for 59 days while winding down their affairs.

To address the closure of POGO operations, a task force was formed composed of the BI, Department of Justice, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation and Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.