MANILA, Philippines – Not all of the tens of thousands of displaced Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) and Internet Gaming Licensee (IGL) workers are seen to get the jobs they want after the December 31 POGO closure deadline set by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said on Monday, December 2.

“Hindi po namin puwedeng masiguro na 100% yung mga maapektuhan na manggagawa ay makakakuha kaagad ng kanilang nais na trabaho,” said Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma in a press briefing.

(We cannot guarantee that 100% of the affected workers will be able to get the jobs they want.)

Despite holding at least four job fairs for the displaced workers, the DOLE noticed that “not a lot” have been participating. Upon investigation, the department deduced the following reasons: some are not convinced that the December 31 deadline will push through, and many of the vacancies being offered at job fairs are entry-level.

“Siguro gusto nilang maghanap ng trabaho na similar doon sa kanilang ginagawa na magbibigay ng kaparehas o mas higit na mataas na benepisyo… Kaya kasama po doon sa adjustment na ginagawa ng DOLE, in particular National Capital Region, ay manghikayat ng mga employers na medyo higher-level ang mga [posisyon] at nang sa ganon ay medyo maenganyo magkaroon ng encouragement yung mga mag-a-apply na IGL,” said Laguesma.

(We think they are probably looking for jobs that are similar to what they were doing, which also has the same salary and benefits as before… That’s why one of the adjustments the DOLE is doing, in particular the National Capital Region, is to urge employers to offer higher-level positions, so that the IGL applicants will be more encouraged to apply.)

The DOLE has finished profiling some 27,790 Filipino workers with existing IGL operations in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Central Visayas. But the number of affected workers may reach up to 42,000, which also accounts for indirectly hired and utility workers.

Marcos announced his administration’s ban on POGOs during his State of the Nation Address on July 22. He instructed the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to cease the operations of all POGOs by the end of the year.

POGO operations have been plagued with crime and scandals related to money laundering, immigration bribery, illegal recruitment, and human trafficking.

In the special job fairs conducted in October and November in Parañaque, Makati, Cavite, and Pasay, 202 IGL workers were hired on the spot, 708 employees enlisted for employment facilitation, and 118 were provided livelihood assistance.

The DOLE cancelled over 36,000 alien employment permits of foreigners working in POGOs and IGLs.

Laguesma said that there have been no discussions so far about extending the December 31 deadline.

“Tuloy-tuloy pa rin po kami kahit na sa January, February, na tutulong doon sa mga naapektuhang IGL (We will continue to assist the affected IGL workers even in January and February),” he said.

Mismatches

The DOLE also said that it was possible that the workers were just not interested in the jobs offered in the fairs. Skills mismatch may be one reason, but another is “geographical mismatch,” which means an applicant may have the skills for a job, but the place of work is in another region.

“On that score, we’re also advocating telecommuting, so that they will not be dislocated, and there will be no social cost, but there are just some jobs that really require a physical presence,” Laguesma said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Philjobnet, the DOLE’s online portal for all job vacancies across industries, listed around 2 million vacancies from January to November. This is close to the 1.89 million-figure of unemployed Filipinos as of September. – Rappler.com