A grant of Php50m (US$890,000) has been approved by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to find the deportation of illegal workers employed by illegal offshore gaming operators.
The amount will be sent in two tranches of Php25m ($445,000) to the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the first of which has already been disbursed.
“These individuals are unable to return to their home countries because they cannot afford a plane ticket,” said PAGCOR chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco. “This grant will ensure they receive assistance in accordance with international laws and humanitarian considerations.”
Tengco emphasised that the grant also underscores PAGCOR’s mission of “ensuring a clean, legitimate and socially responsible gaming industry in the Philippines.”
“PAGCOR has been continuously collaborating with the BI in enforcing the government’s ban on offshore gaming operations, following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive last year,” he said.
“This inter-agency effort is not just about sending people home; it also ensures that only legitimate gaming operations are allowed in our country.”
