THE government must make public its plans to help an estimated 40,000 Filipino workers who will be displaced by the closure of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs).
Sen. Robinhood “Robin” C. Padilla stressed this as he filed Senate Resolution 1091, directing the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media to hold an inquiry on the matter.
“Considering the thousands of Filipino workers who will be adversely affected by the impending closure of POGO operations in the country, the public has the right to be informed of the planned actions and the programs to be implemented by the government to address this issue,” he said in his resolution filed Monday evening.
Padilla chairs the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media.
During his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. made a pronouncement to ban POGOs, and ordered the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to wind down their operations by the end of this year.
The President also ordered the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to work with the country’s economic managers to recommend alternative jobs for Filipinos who will be displaced by the POGO ban.
“According to PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco, there are some 31,000 direct POGO employees and more than 9,000 workers in special business process outsourcing who will be displaced by the closure of POGOS,” Padilla noted.
Padilla pointed out that while POGOs have brought financial gains and employment, law enforcers reported that POGOs are behind illicit activities, including but not limited to financial scamming, money laundering, prostitution, human trafficking, kidnapping, brutal torture, and even murder.
He added the Philippine National Police (PNP) has received multiple complaints for kidnapping for ransom and torture incidents of Chinese POGO workers, by their fellow citizens.
