Philippines to review visa-free entry for Chinese nationals amid ‘POGO’ concerns
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs is to review whether the current visa-free entry arrangement for Chinese nationals – which the country has been considering extending to new entry ports – is being exploited by some people in order to facilitate criminal online-gambling operations. That…
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs is to review whether the current visa-free entry arrangement for Chinese nationals – which the country has been considering extending to new entry ports – is being exploited by some people in order to facilitate criminal online-gambling operations. That is according to comments from Claire Castro, press officer at the Malacañang Palace, the residence and office of the country’s president. At a Tuesday briefing, Ms Castro mentioned arrests made by authorities in an October 2 raid on alleged illegal offshore-facing online gaming operations said to have been run from Zamboanga Sibugay, on the southern island of Mindanao. She also spoke of detentions from another raid in Makati City, Metro Manila, on Sunday (October 18). That is according to local media reports, which referred to the alleged online gaming operations as “POGOs”, which stands for “Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators”. That was a gaming category formerly licensed by the country’s regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pacgor), but which has been abolished. In the raid in Zamboanga Sibugay, a total of 101 foreigners was to be deported, including 82 Chinese nationals who had allegedly entered the Philippines and stayed in the country via the 14-day visa-free arrangement, reported local media outlet the Inquirer.net. Foreign affairs officials would review whether the visa-free entry arrangement is being abused to facilitate criminal activities in the country, said Ms Castro in the Tuesday briefing. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed an order in November 2024 banning offshore gaming operations in the country, citing national security and public order concerns. The ban was implemented by December 2024, but the prohibition was only institutionalised through legislation in 2025, making all offshore gaming operations illegal. Former Presidential Anti-organised Crime Commission spokesperson Winston Casio had previously stated POGO-style operations had been continuing in parts of the Philippines despite the government ban, per the Philippine News Agency, an official outlet. Philippine law-enforcement agencies would continue to pursue illegal POGO-style activities, said Ms Castro in her comments. She said local authorities’ efforts in campaigning against POGO-type operations could be reversed if a future administration opted on a policy of supporting offshore gaming, the Philippine News Agency additionally reported from the Tuesday briefing. Currently, Chinese nationals can enjoy a 14-day visa-free entry to the Philippines through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila and via the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu. The country’s Secretary of Tourism, Dita Angara-Mathay, had recently mentioned the possibility of extending visa-free entry for Chinese nationals to other entry points within the Philippines.