According to a statement from the Philippines’ Presidential Palace, the country’s Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will investigate whether the recently introduced visa-free entry scheme for Chinese citizens is being exploited to revive illicit Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) activities.
Philippines Investigates Potential Abuse of Visa-Free Scheme
The news comes after the DFA conducted a series of raids on suspected illegal POGO hubs, which resulted in 101 foreign nationals being slated for deportation. Of these, 82 are Chinese citizens who entered the Philippines under the visa-free arrangement.
Originally intended to establish the Philippines as a hub for licensed offshore gaming, POGO was instead widely exploited as a front for a range of illegal activities. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially banned the POGO industry effective from January 2027, following a sharp increase in criminal activities, including human trafficking, kidnappings, and various scams.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro raised concerns with the DFA regarding the potential issues arising from the visa-free entry arrangement for Chinese nationals. She added that the DFA would investigate whether the policy was having adverse consequences, particularly whether it was being exploited to facilitate criminal activities in the Philippines.
Tourism from China Might Suffer Depending on the DFA’s Decisions
The investigation comes amid calls to expand the visa-free program. Policymakers have considered extending the existing 14-day visa-free arrangement for Chinese travellers to destinations beyond Manila and Cebu, enabling direct flights to a wider range of airports across the Philippines.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said last month that she hoped to expand the program beyond its current entry points at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport and Mactan-Cebu International Airport. Angara-Mathay proposed including additional gateways, such as Clark Freeport Zone, following a significant increase in arrivals from China in 2026.
For a long time, Chinese nationals have been a staple of tourism in the country, as many of them come to the Philippines to gamble. The Department of Tourism hopes that expanding visa-free access will help the Philippines achieve its target of attracting 6.4 million to 6.8 million international visitors in 2026.
The country welcomed 4.42 million visitors in the first eight months of 2026, representing a slight increase compared with the same period last year. China ranked as the Philippines’ fourth-largest source market during this period, accounting for over 300,000 arrivals, accounting for about 7% of the total number of tourists in the country.
In other news about the Philippines, the country’s casinos need to consolidate their data from online and land-based operations, experts at the IAG Academy Summit in Manila argued.