Senator Joel Villanueva said Tuesday the police officials’ remarks on the rising incidence of kidnappings of Chinese nationals working at Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations firms only proved their belief on the negative effects of the industry.
The crimes, committed mostly by Chinese nationals against their countrymen, he said, outweighed any benefit that the country might get from the proliferation of POGOs and POGO service providers, which employ mostly Chinese nationals.
“We urge the Philippine National Police to be vigilant and prevent these kidnappings and other related crimes from happening,” he said.
As explained by the police, Villanueva said, one of the reasons why this crime was happening was the seemingly unfamiliarity of Chinese employers to Philippine existing laws.
“I don’t know of any country where kidnapping is legal. It is the responsibility of these Chinese nationals operating in the country to familiarize themselves and abide by our laws, particularly labor laws,” he said.
The chairman of the Senate labor committee said the Department of Labor and Employment must continue its labor inspections on offices, particularly POGO facilities and enforce our labor laws and regulations to protect all workers and ensure their rights are upheld at all times.
“We intend to include the information from the police on the rising incidences of Chinese kidnappings at the labor committee hearing we will hold in January,” said Villanueva.
“We hope to establish the breadth and scale of the negative effects of POGO operations in the country,” he also said.