DOLE to help find jobs for displaced POGO workers

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is in the process of finding jobs for the thousands of workers expected to be displaced from the total ban President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. imposed on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs).

Marcos announced the ban in his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, July 22, and directed the DOLE to assist workers who will be displaced. In the session of the post-SONA discussions on education and workers on Wednesday, July 24, Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma elaborated on the DOLE’s plans in carrying out the President’s order.

Laguesma explained that the first order of business for the DOLE was to conduct “profiling” of the affected workers, which means finding out what skills they have, their current positions, current salaries, preferred work, and possible interventions.

The process of profiling involves asking for a list of workers from their employers, POGOs, or what were rebranded as Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), Laguesma said. Regional DOLE implementors are in charge of collecting submissions from the IGLs.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s (Pagcor) Offshore Gaming Licensing Department has a list of 45 IGLs, of which 43 were operating as of July 16. (READ: Which POGOs are affected by Marcos’ ban?)

Laguesma said the department’s initial information so far is from Metro Manila, where most of the POGOs have transitioned into IGLs, as well as in Calabarzon or the Southern Luzon region and Central Luzon.

A total of 34 IGLs reported least 15,000 workers in Metro Manila. Other IGLs reported another 5,000 in Calabarzon. Laguesma said the number of affected workers is “moving.”

“Noong tiningnan ng DOLE-NCR (National Capital Region) ‘yung listahan ng mga manggagawa na ipinagkaloob ng mga kumpanya, malaking bahagi doon ay nandodoon sa encoders. Ibig sabihin, puwede talagang i-link up sa ating IT (information technology), BPO (business process outsourcing) management sector,” said Laguesma.

(When the DOLE-NCR looked at the list of workers from the companies, many of them were encoders. This means there is an opportunity to link them up to the IT and BPO management sector.)

Possible interventions include referral to existing vacancies for those who have skills that match these, or job fairs. But if skills are lacking in the job market’s vacancies, the DOLE has upskilling programs and job-hunting guidance.

Laguesma also mentioned a DOLE program that allows workers to start businesses instead of going back to being employees, if this is their preference.

“DOLE will always be seriously concerned, even if just one job is lost… Other than job creation, we would also like to emphasize job preservation,” Laguesma said in a mix of English and Filipino. – Rappler.com