Gatchalian urges DOLE to fast track program on POGO job displacements

Senator Win Gatchalian has called on the labor department to fast track a detailed program that would assist Filipino workers who could potentially be displaced by the closure of Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the event that they are banned in the country.

While the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has already said it is looking at how it can assist Filipino POGO workers who might lose their jobs should POGOs get banned in the country, Gatchalian emphasized there is a need to come up with a meaningful and detailed program for them including the retooling and upskilling of their skills. An estimated 22,000 Filipinos are currently employed by POGO operators in the country.

"While we do not expect an abrupt displacement of POGO workers, it is important that immediate assistance or intervention is readily available for these Filipino workers to find replacement jobs as soon as possible," Gatchalian said.

For instance, the labor department could provide a mechanism that would directly engage displaced POGO workers with other industries such as the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, the senator said.

He pointed out that the local BPO industry, which has been existing in the country for the past 20 years, currently employs around 1.5 million Filipinos and posts an annual growth rate of 8%. The industry is expected to post a higher growth of 10% in the next 5 to 10 years, which means more jobs for Filipinos.

On the other hand, the number of accredited service providers of licensed POGOs has gone down from 2019 to 2022. There were 231 accredited service providers of POGOs in 2019 and 123 to date, based on data coming from the Philippine Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).

"It can be gleaned from available data that BPO is a growing industry, and we can encourage our people to pursue employment in this industry. By comparison, the POGO industry is declining even after we have put in place a tax regime that legalized their operations. It is obvious the POGO industry is not worth pursuing as a sustainable industry in terms of providing employment to our people," Gatchalian said.

He explained that the majority of those currently employed by POGOs are skilled workers such as those working in customer relations, strategic support providers, IT support providers, and gaming software platform providers, among others.

Isalba agad ang mga mawawalan ng trabaho sa POGO - Gatchalian

Nanawagan si Senador Win Gatchalian sa labor department na madaliin ang pagpapatupad ng isang detalyadong programa na makakatulong sa mga Pilipinong nagtatrabaho sa mga POGO o Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators na posibleng maalis sa trabaho sakaling magsara ang mga ito kung ipagbawal na sa bansa.

Bagama't sinabi na ng Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) na tinitingnan nito kung paano matutulungan ang mga Filipino POGO workers na maaaring mawalan ng trabaho sakaling ipagbawal ang mga POGO sa bansa, binigyang-diin ni Gatchalian na kailangang magkaroon ng makabuluhan at detalyadong programa para sa kanila, kabilang ang "retooling at upskilling" ng kanilang mga kasanayan. Tinatayang nasa 22,000 na mga pinoy ang kasalukuyang nagtatrabaho sa mga POGO operators sa bansa.

"Bagama't hindi natin inaasahan ang biglaang pagsasara ng mga POGO sa bansa, mahalaga na mayroon nang nakahandang tulong o interbensyon para sa mga manggagawang Pilipinong mawawalan ng trabaho upang makahanap agad sila ng kapalit na trabaho sa lalong madaling panahon," sabi ni Gatchalian.

Halimbawa, ang DOLE ay maaaring magpatupad ng isang mekanismo na direktang makikipag-ugnayan sa mga maaalis na mga empleyado ng POGO upang makalipat sa iba pang mga industriya tulad ng Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), sabi ng senador.

Ipinunto niya na ang lokal na industriya ng BPO, na nasa bansa sa nakalipas na 20 taon, ay kasalukuyang mayroong humigit-kumulang na 1.5 milyong Pilipinong empleyado at nakapagtala ng taunang growth rate na 8%. Inaasahang lalago ng 10% ang industriya sa susunod na 5 hanggang 10 taon, na nangangahulugan ng mas maraming trabaho para sa mga Pilipino.

Sa kabilang banda, bumaba ang bilang ng mga accredited service provider ng mga lisensyadong POGO mula 2019 hanggang 2022. Mayroong 231 na accredited service provider ng POGO noong 2019 at bumaba ito sa 123 sa kasalukuyan, batay sa datos ng Philippine Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR).

" Kung ikukumpara sa mga POGO, makikita natin sa datos na ang BPO ay isang lumalagong industriya at maaari nating hikayatin ang ating mga kababayan na magtrabaho sa industriyang ito samantalang humina pa nga ang industriya ng POGO kahit pa naglagay na tayo ng isang tax regime para lang gawing ligal ang kanilang operasyon. Malinaw na hindi sustainable ang mga POGO kung pagbabasehan ang kakayahan nitong magbigay ng trabaho sa ating mga kababayan, "ani Gatchalian.

Sa katunayan, dagdag niya, karamihan sa mga kasalukuyang nagtatrabaho sa mga POGO ay mga skilled worker tulad ng mga nagtatrabaho sa customer relations, strategic support providers, IT support providers, at gaming software platform providers, at iba pa.