MANILA - A senator assured employees of Special Class Business Process Outsourcing (SCBPOs) that they will not be closed like the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) which are set to be banned by the end of the year.

Senator Mark Villar, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, inspected two SCBPOs in Aseana, Parañaque with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday.

“Ginagawa po natin ang inspection na ito upang makita ang operations ng mga SCBPO at maintindihan kung ano ang kaibahan nila sa mga POGO na ipapasara natin bago matapos ang taon na ito,” Villar said.

( We are doing this inspection to see the operations of SCBPOs and understand how they differ from the POGOs which will be closed after this year.)

“Sa mga susunod na hearings sa Senado, makakaasa ang ating SCBPO workers na hindi sila makakasama sa mga ipapasara bago matapos ang taon. Hindi po mawawalan ng trabaho ang ating mga kababayan,” he added.

(In the next Senate hearings, SCBPOs can rest assured that they will not be part of the closures before the year ends. Our countrymen will not lose their jobs.)

SCBPOs are service providers that give assistance to companies outside of the Philippines but do not accept bets.

Villar said they want to ensure that SCBPOs operate legally. There are currently 5,000 Filipinos employed by SCBPOs, according to Villar. His committee is set to conduct hearings on the President’s directive to end POGO operations.

FROM THE ARCHIVES