PAOCC: 947 foreign POGO workers face deportation

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly 1,000 Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) workers have yet to be deported back to their home countries, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) reported yesterday.

In an interview on dzBB, PAOCC spokesman Winston Casio said 947 foreign POGO workers are still being held in the agency’s detention facility in Pasay following the repatriation of 29 Indonesians on Saturday.

Casio said the processing of deportation papers is ongoing, with more repatriations expected in the coming days.

Due to overcrowding in detention facilities, law enforcement operations against 9,000 illegal POGO employees nationwide have been put on hold, he noted.

To address this, Casio said the government is considering using an additional building in Pasay, which is currently under forfeiture proceedings.

“Hopefully, once we get additional personnel, we can use the building in Pasay as a custodial facility,” Casio said.

In compliance with international laws to treat detainees humanely, particularly those accused of immigration violations, the Philippine government provides them weekly medical and dental checkups, according to PAOCC.

Casio said the agency also offers free medicines and laboratory services to those in need. Detainees requiring further medical attention are transported to government hospitals when necessary.

He said the government allocates a monthly budget of P2 million for food and medicine of the detained POGO workers.

Those who can afford their own hospitalization are taken to private hospitals for emergency treatment. They are accompanied by PAOCC personnel, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology officers as well as private security guards hired by the commission, Casio said.

Several foreign detainees have been diagnosed with medical conditions, including tuberculosis, hepatitis B, HIV and respiratory infections.

Casio said those with communicable diseases are isolated from the other detainees to prevent the spread of pathogens.