Recently, the Minister of Justice of the Philippines, Remulla, stated that arrest operations might be initiated against foreign employees of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) who fail to downgrade their visas after October 15th.
During an interview with the media, Remulla pointed out that the number of foreign employees who voluntarily downgraded their visas has not met expectations. "Many employees did not follow the procedures to downgrade their visas, which has put us in a difficult situation, indicating that many of them do not want to leave the Philippines," he added. Those POGO employees who fail to downgrade will be considered as automatically downgraded, except for a few who are exempted as they are processing liquidation.
He further explained that liquidation refers to the time needed by BC Company to close operations and return funds to bettors, to prevent losses to customers. He warned that if the liquidation process is mishandled, it could lead to humanitarian issues.
In July this year, Philippine President Marcos announced a ban on all POGO, requiring all related businesses to completely shut down by December 31st, and all employees to complete visa downgrades by October 15th and leave within 59 days. However, official data shows that as of the October 15th deadline, more than 10,000 employees had not processed their visa downgrades, presenting new challenges for government regulation and increasing the complexity and risks of liquidation and repatriation.
Against the backdrop of the POGO ban, some foreign men, unwilling to leave, have started seeking alternatives, such as marrying Filipino women to obtain legal residency rights. Rumors suggest that marriage can provide legal status, but this "shortcut" may have many underlying issues.
Online discussions also indicate that marrying Filipino women might mean taking on the economic responsibilities of their families, a pressure not to be underestimated.
Indeed, these concerns are not unfounded. Filipino women often play significant roles in their families, and many hope to improve their lives through marriage and support their families.
However, not all Filipino women and their families will demand financial support from their husbands.
Although marriage might provide legal residency rights, this approach can lead to a series of problems. Hastily marrying to evade legal responsibilities can result in a lack of emotional foundation in the marital relationship.
Furthermore, Filipino women generally have strong family values and expect their husbands to take on some of the family's financial responsibilities, which can place significant economic pressure on men.
If a man cannot meet the expectations of his wife and her family, it can lead to marital conflicts and even divorce. Thus, this seemingly simple solution might actually plunge individuals into complex emotional, familial, and financial issues.
