FOREIGN WORKERS SEEKING PERMITS DOWN BY HALF SINCE COVID LOCKDOWNS
THE shutdown of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) during the novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic has cut down by almost half the number foreign nationals (FN), who applied for work permits.
In its new report obtained by Businessmirror, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the number of Alien Employment Permit (AEP) it issued from January to September dropped to 73,640 from 158,710 in the same period last year.
AEP is a document FNS must get from DOLE to be allowed to work in the country for more than six months. “This showed a substantial decrease of 49.69 percent or 61,453 AEPS compared to the total issuance in 2019,” DOLE said.
Distribution by nationality
OF the AEPS issued by DOLE this year, 84.46 percent or 62,196 are for FNS, who are employed in POGOS.
Most or 89.03 percent or 55,371 of these AEP holders in the POGO industry are Chinese.
Other nationals, who have the most number of participants in the country’s POGO industry, include the Vietnamese (1,986); Indonesian(1,130); and malaysian (1,096).
Covid impact
IT attributed the decline in the number of AEP applicants to the “inbound travel restrictions of FNS and limited operation of Pogo-related establishments.”
POGO operations were suspended on March 21, 2020, as the government started implementing community quarantine measures to stop the spread of Covid-19. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) only allowed the partial resumption of POGO on May 1, 2020.
No exodus
PRESIDENTIAL spokesman Harry Roque said only 20 of the 60 licensed POGO operators in the country were able to resume operations after having paid the necessary tax to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
Some of the POGO firms questioned the requirement because they are now registered in the country.
“Many were not able to comply with the franchise tax. This should be lauded by those who are against POGO,” Roque said in an online briefing on Thursday.
Some lawmakers, as well as members of the civil-society groups are against the POGOS in the country for several reasons, including non-payment of taxes, their alleged creation of an environment conducive to crimes, and their employment of FNS instead of Filipino workers.
While many POGOS refuse to pay franchise tax, Roque said many of them still have not totally abandoned their operations in the country.
“There is only one [POGO] company, which left because it was suspected in mainland China of funding demonstrators. So I think the word exodus is not correct,” Roque said.