Only a few applicants from Philippine offshore gaming operators went to the Department of Labor and Employment’s job fair for workers displaced by the looming shutdown of POGOs in the country following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ban such businesses.According to Mark Salazar’s report in 24 Oras on Thursday, DOLE held job fairs in Makati City and in Paranaque City to offer new job opportunities to 27,000 POGO workers affected by the ban.
Marcos banned all POGOs last July, citing such businesses had ventured into illicit activities following the series of raids that led to the discovery of torture chambers, love scams, and other crimes in several hubs.The Bureau of Immigration had set an October 15 deadline for former foreign POGO workers to downgrade their visas or else face deportation.In Paranaque City, 40 former POGO employees tried their luck and many of them found new jobs.