Following the closure and layoffs at the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub in Island Cove, Cavite Province, due to President Marcos' Pogo ban, it's time for Janet Peredo to face the harsh reality of job instability again as she struggles to find new employment.
57-year-old Peredo has been an administrative clerk at Island Cove for 10 years, starting in 2014 when the island was known as Island Cove Resort and Leisure Park, owned by the Remulla political family.
Peredo vividly remembers August 1, 2018, the day she was absorbed by the new owner, First Orient International Ventures Corp., which had purchased the bay earlier that year. She recalls how her life improved that day as her salary tripled.
"As a single parent, this job was really a big help because it was my means of livelihood. I was the only one working for the family. Because of this job, I was able to support my child's education. My child completed their university studies," said Peredo.
She remains unemployed and lacks confidence in her chances of finding new work, as she is only three years away from being considered elderly.
Peredo is one of the 12,000 Filipinos, including 5,000 from Cavite Province, who have been displaced due to the closure of this center, victims of the notorious reputation of other Pogo entities in the country.
"I feel sad for myself. I feel sad for my colleagues because I know some of them might lose their source of three meals a day," she said.
The center's other 4,000 workers included nationals from Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and China.
"The closure had the biggest impact on the employees. Especially those who have been with us from day one. The employees we absorbed came from the old Island Cove Resort, and they had worked at Island Cove Resort for many years," said the outgoing general manager Ron Lim.
Another laid-off employee, Conception Guttierez, and her colleagues in the center's laundry department have also not found work.
"About 15 or 17 of us are unemployed. There's nothing to rely on," Guttierez said.
Lim expressed sadness that the bad reputation of other Pogos had tarnished Island Cove, saying, "Sometimes they think First Orient is also a Pogo center, so maybe it was also involved in the illegal activities other so-called centers have been accused of... like torture, human trafficking, kidnapping," said Lim.
"But Island Cove was completely free of [these issues]. We are proud to pay the correct taxes and comply with all the guidelines set by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and all government agencies," he added.
Laid-off Lim mentioned that they even had a hotline within the premises for reporting scams or other illegal activities, and in the three years since they started operations, they had not received any complaints.
Last month, President Marcos issued Executive Order No. 74, citing the industry, predominantly owned by Chinese, for cases of human trafficking, poor working conditions, torture, and online scams, banning Pogos from operating in the country. They are required to cease operations and move out of the Philippines by the end of 2024.
Inquirer was one of the selected media members invited to visually inspect the hub on December 11 by the Kawit local government.
Kawit municipal administrator Rey Santos confirmed First Orient's claim that it had not engaged in illegal activities.
The 35-hectare island was converted into a commune in 2018. The hub was built between 2018 and 2021 and operated for only three years.
The offices were marked with red, and the dormitories with yellow. The compound included a grocery store, salon, restaurant, and other establishments to meet the workers' needs.
Workers like Guttierez would eat in a cafeteria that offered free and unlimited buffet meals. But today, the cafeteria, which months ago prided itself on its spotless kitchen, now reeks of stale cooking oil.
