Philippine Senator Mark Villar assured that employees of Special Class Business Process Outsourcing (SCBPO) will not be affected by the Philippines' total ban on offshore gaming operators (POGO).
Villar made the assurance after inspecting a SCBPO in Parañaque with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) Chairman Al Tengco. He stated that SCBPO employees can rest assured that they will not be forced into unemployment by the end of the year.
Villar expressed his full support for the crackdown on illegal POGO, but will ensure that no Filipino workers are unfairly affected by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s ban.
Tengco explained in a previous Senate hearing that SCBPO, regulated by PAGCOR, employs over 4,900 Filipino workers and 137 foreign workers, and that SCBPO operations are limited to serving overseas physical casinos and do not directly involve in gambling activities. This is a significant distinction between SCBPO and POGO.
Meanwhile, Gatchalian emphasized that implementing the President's total ban on POGO requires a comprehensive approach, particularly against about 200 illegal POGO centers still active in the Philippines. Gatchalian called for law enforcement to take action to ensure all illegal POGO operators are completely banned.
He also noted that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) should work closely with PAGCOR to verify the Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) of each internet gambling license holder, pointing out that previous congressional hearings revealed a tax discrepancy of 2 to 5 billion pesos in POGO declarations.
Gatchalian also mentioned a discrepancy between the number of foreign employment certificates issued by the Bureau of Immigration and the work permits issued by the Department of Labor and Employment. According to PAGCOR, as of July, the POGO industry had 26,431 foreign workers, while the Department of Labor and Employment had issued only 15,819 foreign employment certificates.
