Foreigners working for POGOs, IGLs must leave Philippines in 60 days starting today, July 24 -- BI
All foreigners working for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) and Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs) must leave the Philippines within 60 days from today, July 24, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.
In a statement, the BI said Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued the directive after President Marcos declared during the State of Nation Address (SONA) held last Monday, July 22, to ban all POGOs from the country.
“Tansingco said foreign nationals who worked with POGOs and IGLs, as well as their related service providers, will be given 59 days to wind down their affairs and leave the country,” said BI.
Also, in line with the President's order, the BI said "pending applications and new applications for visas for POGOs and IGLs workers will be denied by the BI.”
Tansingco warned that violators of the 60-day period to leave the country "will be subjected to deportation proceedings" as he instructed the bureau's intelligence division and fugitive search unit "to intensify arrests against violators and illegal online gaming hubs."
The BI said it has received from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) a list of foreigners working in POGOs and IGLs.
It expects around 20,000 foreign workers of POGOs and IGLs to leave the country in the next two months.
It said it has already deported over 2,300 workers in scam hubs operating in the guise of gaming companies in the Philippines
During the SONA, the President stressed the need to stop all illegal activities associated with POGOs.
“Disguising as legitimate entities, their operations have ventured into illicit areas furthest from gaming such as financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, even murder,” the President said.