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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Gatchalian to DOLE: POGO workers facing possible displacement can work in BPO industry

Gatchalian to DOLE: POGO workers facing possible displacement can work in BPO industry

Published Oct 19, 2022 11:30 am

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday, October 19 urged the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to expedite its program that would assist Filipino workers who could potentially be displaced by the possible closure of the Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs).

Gatchalian said there is a need to come up with a detailed program that would help these Filipino POGO workers retool and upskill in the event that POGO operations are totally banned in the country.

“While we do not expect an abrupt displacement of POGO workers, it is important that immediate assistance or intervention is readily available for these Filipino workers to find replacement jobs as soon as possible,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

For instance, the senator said DOLE could provide a mechanism that would directly engage displaced POGO workers with other industries such as the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector.

Gatchalian noted that the local BPO industry—which has been existing in the country for the past 20 years—currently employs around 1.5 million Filipinos and posts an annual growth rate of eight percent (8%).

The industry is expected to post a higher growth of 10 percent in the next 5 to 10 years, which means more jobs for Filipinos, he pointed out.

On the other hand, the number of accredited service providers of licensed POGOs has gone down from 2019 to 2022. Based on data from Philippine Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), there are 123 accredited service providers of POGOs to date, compared in 2019 where the were 231.

“It can be gleaned from available data that BPO is a growing industry, and we can encourage our people to pursue employment in this industry,” he said.

“By comparison, the POGO industry is declining even after we have put in place a tax regime that legalized their operations. It is obvious the POGO industry is not worth pursuing as a sustainable industry in terms of providing employment to our people,” he stressed.

He said majority of those currently employed by POGOs are skilled workers such as those working in customer relations, strategic support providers, IT support providers, and gaming software platform providers, among others.

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