SENATE minority leader Aquilino Pimentel III yesterday urged the Bureau of Immigration to immediately deport the more than 40,000 allegedly overstaying workers of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs).
During the briefing of the Department of the Justice, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco told senators the POGO workers have expired visas.
Tansingco said the based on available records, the BI issued Visas Upon Arrival to more than 50,000 individuals linked to POGOs from 2017 to 2018, but only around 50 percent of them were granted extended stay.
VUAs are valid for only 30 days. Once expired, holders of VUAs can be given an extended six months stay in the country but will no longer be allowed any extension, unless there is force majeure or if the holder has a medical emergency.
“If not, they are considered overstaying,” Tansingco said.
Pimentel said the BI should run after overstaying POGO workers amid allegations that a number of them were involved in the recent kidnappings and disappearances of Chinese men.
Reports indicate that some kidnapped Chinese individuals were sold to POGOs where they are forced to work.
Pimentel said POGO operations should be stopped despite the income derived by the government from its operations.
“Sa halagang P5 billion, you want to suffer reputational damage na ang Philippines ay pugad ng gangsters na foreigner pa? Aantayin pa ba nating tumapang ang mga ‘yan at Pilipino na ang biktimahin?
(Do we want to suffer reputational damage that the Philippines is a haven of foreign gangsters for the P5 billion [the government earns from its operations]? Shall we wait for them to become more shameless and victimize Filipinos?),” Pimentel said.
The senator has earlier urged lawmakers to prioritize the crafting of a measure that will ban POGOs in the country after the PNP said that 15 of 29 kidnapping cases recorded from January to the first week of September this year showed they were POGO-related.
He said POGO operations can be stopped through an act by the Executive branch, just like what former President Duterte did on the operation of online cockfighting. “Executive action can shorten everything,” he said.
