Seven Indonesian POGO workers surrendered to the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) on Friday.
Their work visas canceled and now out of money, the five Indonesian males and two females decided it would be best for them to return to Indonesia.
“Aminado sila na mga POGO workers sila. At nung malaman nila na talagang naghihigpit na tayo dito sa ating bansa sa pagkakalabas nga ng Executive Order 74 banning POGOs, talagang minabuti na nila na sumurrender na lang at magpa-repatriate,” PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz told GMA Integrated News.
(The Indonesians claimed to be POGO workers. They decided that it would be better to surrender and be repatriated after learning that the Philippines had strengthened its regulations following the release of Executive Order 74 banning POGOs.)
“Honestly, the rules of the President of the Philippines, President Bongbong Marcos, about POGO. No POGO. After that, they don’t want to work in POGO because they know that it’s illegal, right? So they want to go back to Indonesia,” Bruno, one of the Indonesian surrenderees, said.
Bruno also told authorities that they moved from one POGO to another—Pasay, Parañaque, Makati, and even Cavite.
They had also engaged in scamming.
“Before, they were only betting, and they moved to another company, and they didn’t know they were doing the scam like that,” Bruno added.
While they did not suffer physical abuse, the Indonesians endured verbal abuses and threats and experienced big salary deductions if they did not meet their scamming quota.
“If you don’t get to reach the target or something, they will say you are like ‘stupid.’ If you can’t do this job, ‘Better you die! ‘ or ‘I will electrocute,’ but they only say. No physical abuse,” he said.
The Indonesians are now in PAOCC custody and will be undergoing debriefing.
They will also be subjected to profiling and processing by the Bureau of Immigration.
The PAOCC is already coordinating with the Indonesian Embassy in the Philippines for their repatriation.
“Nagagawa naman ng paraan yan kasi mayroon tayong embassy na kinakausap na minsan sila sumasagot pagdating sa mga plane tickets. At dito sa opisina rin namin at even yung government natin, we are all willing to support pagdating doon sa kanilang safe na pagbabalik sa kanilang mga bansa,” Cruz said.
(We can find a way to send them back to Indonesia since we have an embassy here that usually shoulders the cost of plane tickets. Our office and the Philippine government are all willing to support to ensure their safe return to their homeland.)
Since last year, a total of 30 foreign POGO workers have surrendered to the PAOCC. — VBL, GMA Integrated News
