The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has announced a significant escalation in its efforts to locate and deport more than 11,000 foreign workers associated with Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO). This move comes as these individuals are now classified as illegal aliens within the country.
Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado disclosed that the BI’s intelligence division has been tasked with tracking down these 11,254 POGO workers who failed to comply with the government’s mandate to either downgrade their status or leave the Philippines by the December 31, 2024 deadline.
“The President’s directive is unequivocal: POGO operations must cease in the Philippines. We will intensify our manhunt for these illegal aliens,” stated Viado in a recent press release. He emphasized that those who did not meet the deadline, including those who downgraded their visas but did not depart, will face arrest, deportation, and blacklisting.
According to BI records, of the 33,863 POGO employees registered with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, 24,779 managed to downgrade their visas. However, only 22,609 of these workers left the country before the deadline, leaving a significant number still within Philippine borders.