MANILA – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will host a job fair exclusive to Filipino workers who are expected to be displaced after the shutdown of offshore gaming hubs, known locally as POGOs.

Over 19,000 Filipinos – many of whom earn about US$290 to $400 a month – are at risk of displacement, according to Jude Thomas Trayvilla, an assistant director for DOLE in the National Capital Region.

As foreign POGO workers, predominantly from China, prepare to leave the Philippines between 15 October and 15 December, local workers terminated by gaming operators will be assisted at the job fair slated for 10 October in Parañaque City.

DOLE said 48 gaming operators have so far submitted a list of local employees who will soon be laid off upon the termination of their licence. Dozens more are expected to submit records.

“For now, we are continuously coordinating with the remaining establishments to acquire the necessary lists at the earliest opportunity,” Trayvilla said.

Most Filipino POGO workers work in administration, HR, finance, IT and data processing in the gaming industry, Trayvilla said.

The job fair, however, aims to match them with companies across different sectors. About 70 employers are said to take part, with more companies likely to sign up, in the event co-organised by the city’s Public Employment Services Office.

Apart from the job fair, DOLE is also offering livelihood and skills development programmes for former POGO workers to facilitate their re-employment.

Labour Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said their measures should go beyond temporary employment. The upskilling and reskilling programmes, for example, are designed to give them long-term employment opportunities.

The ban on POGOs

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the ban on Philippine offshore gaming operators due to their economic costs supposedly outweighing their benefits. POGOs have until 31 December this year to shutter their operations.

In a recent news analysis, People Matters reported that only about 20% of the 118,000 POGO workers in the country were Filipinos. A greater majority of the workforce come from China and neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia.

Many of these foreign workers are believed to have been illegally recruited and trafficked into the Philippines, as local law enforcement agencies attested after a series of raids.

The Philippine Senate is now working to convert the ban into legislation.

Despite the closure of offshore gaming businesses, however, Philippine authorities are anticipating illegal operators, especially those involved in scamming and other cyber crimes, will only shift underground.

As for foreign POGO workers still in the Philippines, “They have to voluntarily leave or they will be summarily deported,” said Winston Casio, a spokesperson for the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.

Those running from the law are being monitored by law enforcers and will be apprehended once their visas lapse. “When they are tracked down, they will be deported,” Casio said.