Subic Bay Freeport Zone

SBMA sees continuing drop in Chinese workers at Subic

Randy V. Datu

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SBMA sees continuing drop in Chinese workers at Subic

"Empty corridor at the former office of the Great Empire Gaming and Amusement Corp." in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. (By: Randy V. Datu)

Photo by Randy Datu

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority records show that POGOs based inside the free port have retrenched 85% of their Chinese workers

As government officials worry over the influx of Chinese retirees in the country, the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) reported the decline in the number of Chinese workers in this premier free port, particularly those working in the Philippine offshore gaming operation (POGO) industry.

According to SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma, Chinese workers employed by POGO firms here now number less than 500, a stark contrast to more than 1,500 just 4 months ago.

“This is because the POGO operators cannot do business after the declaration of the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine last March, and thus were losing money,” Eisma said.

“In fact one of the 4 POGO operators here, the Great Empire Gaming and Amusement Corporation, has closed shop after losing P106 million, so it sent its workers back home to China,” she said.

“As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect POGO establishments, we can expect more Chinese workers here to be repatriated,” she added.

Eisma revealed this situation in Subic after government officials, among them senators Richard Gordon and Nancy Binay, said during the recent Department of Tourism (DOT) budget hearing that a total of 27,678 foreigners from mainland China had availed of the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV).

Gordon noted that the youngest Chinese retiree in the country was just 35 years old. He described the situation as “dangerous” for national security.

Eisma, however, said the situation in Subic “is nothing to be alarmed about, because the number of Chinese POGO workers is trending downwards, not upwards.”

According to figures from the SBMA Business Group, about 85% of the Chinese workers hired by POGO firms here have been retrenched since March when the COVID-19 pandemic slammed the global economy.

The first casualty here was Great Empire Gaming and Amusement, which ceased operations in June and retrenched all its 374 personnel, including 368 Chinese citizens and 6 Filipinos.

The company used to pay the SBMA an annual share of P533,700 on top of its monthly sublease fee of P84,000. However, the firm reportedly lost P106 million in revenue, hence its closure in June.

The remaining 3 POGO companies likewise reported cutbacks in employment: The Teleempire, Incorporated, which occupied an office building and two living quarters in this Freeport, reported a total of 409 Chinese workers last July. The number has dipped to 242 as of September 28.

Another firm, Northfolk Information Technologies, Incorporated, which provided backroom services to a POGO operator based in Olongapo City, listed 225 Chinese employees last July. That has whittled down to 100 as of September 28.

Ekxinum. Incorporated, which used to occupy 4 buildings at the Cubi area here, has vacated of 3 those facilities. Its Chinese worker complement has nose-dived from 231 active visa holders, with 169 on process last July, to 42 active visa holders, with 14 on process as of September 28.

The 3 POGO firms maintained a total of 170 Filipino workers as of September 28, SBMA records showed.

Eisma said the POGO operators in Subic are not expected to resume operations anytime soon, as even some online gaming operators in Manila that cater to the Chinese market have recently left the Philippines. – Rappler.com

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