DOLE completes profiling of nearly 80K displaced POGO workers

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) announced on Wednesday that it has completed the profiling of nearly 80,000 Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) workers who have been displaced.

In a televised briefing, DOLE Bureau of Local Employment Director Patrick Patriwirawan Jr. said the Labor department has already profiled a total of 79,735 POGO displaced workers, of which, 40,962 are Filipinos.

Most of these workers, Patriwirawan noted, earned between P16,000 to P22,000 per month and worked as administrative staff, secretaries, desk officers, or encoders.

"Matapos po nating ma-profile ang mga workers, mayroon po tayong lineup or menu ng mga services na binibigay sa kanila katulad po ng sa pamamagitan ng ating mga Public Employment Service Offices (After profiling the workers, we offer them a lineup of services through our PESOs)," he explained.

Patriwirawan said DOLE will conduct employment facilitation; job-matching and placement; career development support; and upskilling opportunities.

"Ang DOLE ay mayroon pong mga ino-offer na mga livelihood programs na maaari pong maging simula ng kanilang entrepreneurship development opportunities (DOLE is also offering livelihood programs that can help kickstart their entrepreneurship development opportunities)," he added.

"Maaari po silang magtayo ng maliit na business, magbibigay po kami ng kapital o ng mga equipment o tool ang (They can build a small business, we can provide them with capital, equipment, or tools)," he further explained.

Patriwirawan said DOLE could offer displaced Filipino workers up to P30,000 in capital to help them start a small business. 

In October, DOLE will host a job fair dedicated to displaced Filipino POGO workers.

As of 25 Sept., there are currently 70 participating employers interested in joining the job fair. Most of them are from the BPO sector, hospitality and tourism, general services, and wholesale and retail industries.

DOLE previously said that roughly 40,000 workers have been affected by the POGO ban.

During his third State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced the ban on all POGOs in the country.