BI eyes speedier deportation of POGO workers

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February 25, 2025 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Expediting the deportation of Philippine offshore gaming operator workers is a primary concern, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said yesterday, amid reports that some POGO workers are not returning to their countries.

Reducing expenses for POGO workers’ detention and immediately sending them back to their countries are among the BI’s top priorities, Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said.

About P210 million has been spent for the detention of POGO workers since the crackdown began in 2023, the Philippine Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) reported earlier.

“The longer they stay in the country waiting for schedules, the longer the government shoulders the cost of their detention,” Viado noted.

Connecting flights are being used by some POGO workers to evade repatriation, the PAOCC told dzBB.

Revealing that some deported Chinese POGO workers skipped their connecting flights, PAOCC spokesperson Winston Casio said layovers should be avoided since there are direct flights from Manila to Beijing.

“The Chinese embassy has coordinated with the PAOCC and wrote to the BI, requesting that layovers be avoided because their foreign nationals are escaping,” Casio said.

The BI has coordinated with the National Bureau of Investigation to expedite the issuance of clearances for deportation within a day.

Last month, a group of deportees were sent back to their home country in just two weeks, the BI said.

Deportees are booking their own flights and paying for airfares, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said.

“Deportees shoulder the cost of deportation,” Sandoval noted.

Chinese consular services are facilitating the purchase of tickets for deportees, Casio said.

Foreign POGO workers are not considered fugitives in their own countries, Sandoval said, noting that overstaying and working without permits are among the offenses they committed.

POGO crackdown

A specialized team has been formed to reinforce efforts against POGOs, the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said, following the arrest of over 400 POGO workers during a recent Parañaque raid.

Operatives raided an office building reportedly subleased to a tech firm engaged in illegal online gaming and human trafficking.

“We will request to issue a warrant to examine computer data on the evidence we have seized,” CIDG Metro Manila chief Col. Marlon Quimno said yesterday at a press conference at Camp Crame.

Quimno said he is sure many illegal POGOs are engaged in “guerrilla” operations in Metro Manila. — Mark Ernest Villeza, Mayen Jaymalin, Silvia Massa