The Department of Justice (DoJ) disclosed on Thursday that it has led a high-level meeting of different departments pursuant to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive during his third State of the Nation Address (SoNA) to ban all POGOs in the country by the end of the year.

In a statement, the Justice department said that the meeting was attended by top brass of agencies directly involved in the exodus of POGOs from the country.

The meeting convened the “Task Force POGO Closure” composed of the DoJ, Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

It aims to establish a clear, organized and streamlined set of guidelines for the total prohibition of POGO operations throughout the country by the end of the year without sacrificing the welfare of the workers who will be affected by the Presidential directive.

“This may just be the first one that would be convened by us in order for us to have a streamlined, systematic and efficient process of implementing the policy directive of our President,” DoJ Undersecretary Raul T. Vasquez said.

All foreign POGO workers are given until 15 October 2024 to voluntarily repatriate and starting on 16 October 2024, all 9G visas of affected foreign POGO workers would be downgraded to tourist visas and they would have to leave the Philippines within sixty days or face involuntary repatriation.

PAGCOR chairperson Alejandro H. Tengco warned that the most challenging part for the Task Force in weeding out POGOs from the country begins on the very first day of 2025 as they foresee that POGO operators will try to employ dirty tricks to hide their illegal business.

At present, the 41 licensed POGOs under PAGCOR have already expressed their intention to yield to the directive of the President and completely cease operations.

The DoJ will continue to work closely with the Task Force until the total POGO ban is smoothly implemented before the year ends.

“The harm and danger fueled by illegal POGO activities have undeniably placed public safety and national security at risk for quite some time and justice will never take these matters sitting down. With the President’s guidance, we can now unleash the full consequences of the law against these undesirable elements of society,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.