About 40,000 undocumented Chinese in Philippines

MANILA: There are an estimated 40,000 Chinese workers in the Philippines working in the country’s illegal or unlicensed Philippine offshore gaming operation (Pogo).

This was revealed by justice secretary Crispin Remulla, who said that the 40,000 Chinese have been encountering difficulties because China has imposed penalties on deported Pogo Chinese workers.

These Pogos were provided licences, but overtime some are no longer licensed and stopped paying dues to PAGOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation), Remulla told the Senate Commitee on Finance, regarding the justice department proposed budget for next year.

Remulla added: “There are some 216 companies with 200 persons per company or around 80,000 workers may be staying in the country illegally working in a Pogo that is not licenced anymore.”

Remulla warned that a “new humanitarian crisis” may develop because China has imposed penalties on deported Pogo workers by destroying their passports.

But Senator Sherwin Gatchalian estimated that the number of undocumented Chinese nationals in the Philippines could be as high as 100,000.

The problem was exacerbated by the recent spate of kidnappings and killings of Chinese workers working at Pogo based on a report by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel called on China, not to discourage its citizens from returning home, say the Philippines should not carry the burden of illegal aliens.

“China has to do something not to disincentivize their people from going home to their country. That’s our request to China,” Pimentel said.

Just last week, the PNP successfully rescued 43 Chinese nationals “who were enslaved” under human trafficking conditions at the Pogo building in Angeles City, Pampanga province in Central Luzon. For instance, Remulla recalled that the police in suburban Quezon City, Metro Manila had difficulties in detaining more than 300 Chinese citizens who were arrested ater a government crackdown at the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020.