DOLE says programs in place to assist workers displaced by POGO ban

Job-seekers line up at a career fair in Quezon City on Nov. 8, 2022. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File 

MANILA -- The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday assured that programs are in place to assist thousands of Filipino workers displaced by the government’s ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) which took effect last January 1, 2025. 

At least 40,000 workers were directly affected by the closure of POGOs, which are mostly from the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and the Central Visayas regions, according to data from the Labor Department.

The agency is now cooperating with the employers of affected workers as a basis for the programs like job fair and other livelihood projects.

"Ang mga uri ng assistance na pinagkaloob ng DOLE ay may kinalaman sa employment facilitation. Nakapagdaos kami ng apat o limang jobs fair na nilahukan ng mga iniimbitahan naming mga manggagawa,” Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said.

DOLE is also helping retrain these workers and upskill them so they can qualify for other job openings, Laguesma said. They are also coordinating with the  IT Business Process Association of the Philippines to provide jobs and livelihood to the displaced Filipino workers.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned POGOs last year after these were linked to illegal activities like kidnapping, online scams, human trafficking and even torture.