THE GOVERNMENT of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. should help workers in the offshore gaming sector find jobs if these gambling outfits are outlawed, a Philippine senator said on Sunday.
“In recreating the Philippine economy without Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGO) as a source of income, the government needs to lay down transitory mechanisms, such as the employment of affected Filipino nationals,” Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said in a statement.
“We will ensure that legislating a total ban on POGOs will include a provision for safety nets for workers who would be adversely affected by the ban.”
Senators have been pushing a total ban of POGOs — mostly Chinese gambling firms that operate online casinos targeting Chinese clients — after many of them were linked to crimes.
Mr. Gatchalian said the government should provide upskilling and reskilling programs for these workers in case POGOs are banned.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) on Thursday warned that shuttered POGOs could cause job losses and hurt the commercial property sector.
Last week, the Finance department said it could forego about P13 billion in tax and gaming revenues from POGOs, adding that more investments would come in if crimes linked to these outfits are cut. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
