By Roy Mabasa PAGCOR Chairman Andrea Domingo on Wednesday said they will soon implement a massive training of Chinese nationals employed in various offshore online gaming entities operating in the country to overcome the stigma caused by the racial and cultural differences between China and the Philippines. PAGCOR Chairman Andrea Domingo During a round-table discussion with journalists, Domingo admitted that the impending training was triggered by the series of allegations against the reported involvement of Chinese nationals employed by Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) in criminal activities such as kidnapping, prostitution, and money laundering. Domingo said they are now in the process of accrediting learning institutions to offer the necessary training courses to Chinese offshore workers before they will be issued an offshore gaming employment license (OGEL). “We have a curriculum and we will conduct the massive training,” Domingo said, adding that the new requirement will be to the account of the POGO operators. Among the courses that will be offered are Philippine and Chinese history, the do’s and don’ts while in the country, hygiene and sanitation, and basic language. Such training, she added, will also address cultural issues and differences between the Chinese and Filipinos. “Marami silang practice na iba sa atin (They have many practices that are different from us),” the PAGCOR chair said. Along with the major players in the POGO industry, Domingo said they denounce criminal acts such as kidnapping and will not “sit idly” in the face of these illegal activities. She claimed that as of this year, the Philippine National Police has recorded a decrease in POGO-related kidnapping from nine incidents in 2019 to two in the first two months of 2020. She noted that POGO workers are among the victims and are “not the kidnappers.” At present, a total of 120,976 workers are employed in the POGO industry involving 48 nationalities, including Filipinos. A list provided by PAGCOR shows that the countries with the most number of employees in the POGO industry are China, 69,613; Philippines, 30,251; Vietnam, 3,003; Indonesia, 2,422; Taiwan, 1,786; Malaysia, 1,256; Thailand, 592; and South Korea, 482, among others. There are 10,732 individuals working in POGOs whose nationalities are listed as “unidentified.” Domingo said PAGCOR has issued 60 licenses to POGO operations, five of which are still unable to operate for various reasons and were given up to six months to operate or face revocation of their authorities.