Forty-one licensed Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) have expressed willingness to leave the country, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Thursday, Sept. 19.
“The harm and danger fueled by illegal POGO activities have undeniably placed public safety and national security at risk for quite some time and justice will never take these matters sitting down,” said DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla in a statement.
“With the President's guidance, we can now unleash the full consequences of the law against these undesirable elements of society," he said.
President Marcos declared during his July 22 State of the Nation Address (SONA) that all POGO operations should cease by the end of the year.
The DOJ said that, so far, “the 41 licensed POGOs under PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) have already expressed their intention to yield to the directive of President Marcos and completely cease operations.”
Remulla disclosed the information after the first meeting of the Task Force POGO Closure held at the DOJ on Wednesday, Sept. 18.
The Task Force is composed of the DOJ, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), the Bureau of Immigration (BI), and PAGCOR.
“To set things straight, all foreign POGO workers are given until 15 October 2024 to voluntarily repatriate,” the DOJ said in a statement.
“Consequently, starting on 16 October 2024, all 9G visas of affected foreign POGO workers would be downgraded to tourist visas and they would have to leave the Philippines within sixty (60) days or face involuntary repatriation,” it said.
It also said that during the meeting “PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro H. Tengco warned that the most challenging part for the Task Force in weeding out POGOs from the country begins on the very first day of 2025 as they foresee that POGO operators will try to employ dirty tactics to hide their illegal business.”