Pagcor approves P50M to deport illegal POGO workers

 Authorities raid a BPO compound in Bagac, Bataan, on October 31, 2024, alleged to be a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO), following a search warrant for human trafficking violations. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) said Tuesday it has approved a P50-million grant to the Bureau of Immigration to fund the ongoing deportation of overseas workers under illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in mid-2024 banned all offshore gaming operations in the Philippines after congressional investigations revealed they were linked to illicit activities such as scams, torture, human trafficking, and possibly even espionage and killings.

At the time, there were an estimated 20,000 POGO workers who had to leave the country.

The P50-million grant to the immigration bureau was formalized through a memorandum of agreement signed Monday, June 30, and would be released in two tranches of P25 million each, the gaming regulator said in a statement. 

The first tranche was released during the ceremonial signing, Pagcor said.

The grant would help cover the repatriation expenses of illegal POGO workers currently held at the BI Warden Facility and Protection Unit, as "they cannot afford a plane ticket," Pagcor chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said in the statement.

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"This grant will ensure they receive assistance in accordance with international laws and humanitarian considerations," Tengco said.

Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado meanwhile said that accelerating the deportation cases of illegal POGO workers would "help ensure a safer community for Filipinos."

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