On December 5th, a leak from the Philippines Immigration Bureau's ALO monitoring list exposed detailed personal information of 8,427 foreign POGO employees, including names, genders, dates of birth, passport numbers, and nationalities.
This list, which was supposed to be internal data of the Immigration Bureau, was widely circulated, involving employees from China, Vietnam, India, and other countries. According to statistics, it includes information on 1,062 Chinese nationals.
This sudden revelation has slightly shaken many in the community!
The first page of the list clearly states that these individuals hold POGO 9G visas, have not complied with the policy to downgrade their visas before October 15, and have not yet left the country, thus being placed on the ALO list.
The document orders the listed individuals to:
1) apply for downgrading of their visas and pay the appropriate fees;
2) update their stay, if applicable;
3) secure an emigration clearance certificate (ECC) and NBI clearance;
4) leave the country on or before December 31, 2024;
More importantly, the document states "no extension/conversion to other visa categories," meaning these individuals "cannot extend/convert to other visa categories."
What does being on the ALO list mean (Allowed to Leave Order)?
ALO is an early warning mechanism that requires non-compliant foreigners to leave the country within a specified deadline to avoid more severe consequences. If they do not leave on time, they will face stricter penalties, such as:
1. Deadline to leave
- Must leave the Philippines within the specified time or face further penalties.
2. Transfer to BLO list
- Those who fail to leave as required will automatically be placed on the BLO blacklist, being permanently or long-term banned from entering.
3. Detention and forced deportation
- Individuals who fail to leave on time may be detained by the Philippine Immigration Bureau and forcibly deported back to their home country, with the related costs borne by the individual.
4. Impact on future immigration records
- Being on the ALO or BLO list will affect an individual's international immigration record, possibly leading to visa rejections or strict scrutiny when applying for visas in other countries.
5. Verification and fines
- When caught by law enforcement, one must present a legal exit proof or face fines or legal proceedings.
In addition, there is a risk of personal information leakage. Because the ALO list leak contains detailed personal information, it may be illegally misused, increasing the risk of identity theft and other security issues.
However, this list was leaked, and netizens revealed that this leaked ALO list is just the first batch, with a second batch to follow!
Indeed, on December 15th, a second batch of the list was leaked online, involving 3,678 POGO employees. Together with the first batch, a total of over 12,000 people's information has been leaked!
Earlier, according to statistics from the Philippines Immigration Bureau, as of November 7, 2024, 21,757 foreign employees associated with Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) had voluntarily downgraded their work visas to temporary visitor visas, with 10,821 having left the Philippines and about 10,936 still not having completed the visa downgrade or departure procedures.
The Philippine government has required these individuals to leave the country by December 31, 2024, or face the risk of being expelled and blacklisted.
The blacklist, abbreviated as BLO, stands for Blacklist Order,
is a final punitive measure, where violators are placed on the blacklist, banned from entering the Philippines for a long term or permanently. Non-compliance with ALO requirements, or involvement in serious illegal activities such as human trafficking, illegal gambling, money laundering, etc., are likely to result in being blacklisted.
What does being on the BLO list mean?
1. Permanent or long-term ban from entry
Individuals on the BLO list will be permanently marked in the Philippine Immigration Bureau's system, unable to re-enter the Philippines unless the ban is revoked through special administrative or legal procedures.
2. Forced deportation
If a person is on the BLO list within the Philippines, they will face forced deportation and bear the costs associated with the deportation process.
3. Impact on international immigration records
Being on the BLO list will leave a negative record on international immigration records, leading to strict scrutiny or even rejection when applying for visas in other countries.
4. Inability to conduct related business
Foreigners on the BLO blacklist not only cannot enter the Philippines but also cannot engage in business, work, or tourism activities related to visas in the Philippines.
5. Legal consequences
Being on the BLO list is usually due to violations of Philippine immigration laws, involvement in serious crimes or illegal activities, such as human trafficking, illegal gambling, money laundering, etc., thus possibly facing other related legal procedures.
Comparing the two, you can see that ALO and BLO are just a step away!
If the community continues not to downgrade their visas or leave the country, once caught, they will not only be deported and banned from entry but may also face legal responsibilities, such as violating Philippine laws, being sentenced to prison by a Philippine court, and then being deported after serving their sentence.
However, wanting to make money without being suppressed, even if they operate independently, cannot guarantee permanent safety.
Moreover, the continuous leakage of these lists makes one wonder if more lists will be published before the POGO ban deadline of December 31st.
From this incident, it is evident that the Philippine government has many loopholes in privacy protection and information management. If subsequent lists continue to leak, the community will face more risk and crisis.
For those already on the ALO list, promptly handling the relevant procedures and leaving on time is the best option to avoid being placed on the BLO list.
