The Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority (APECO) temporarily suspended visa issuances on November 3, 2023, according to a statement from its President and CEO, Atty. Gil G. Taway IV, published on the authority's website1. The suspension was ordered by new management, which assumed office in October 2023, to allow a full review of all previously issued visas and work permits1.
The statement, dated November 4, 2025, was issued after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act No. 12312, the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, which institutionalizes the nationwide ban on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators1. Taway said APECO supports the law's revocation of the authority previously granted to special economic zones, freeport authorities and investment promotion agencies, including APECO, to issue licenses, permits or accreditations to POGOs and their content and service providers1.
"on November 3, 2023, the new management temporarily suspended visa issuances to allow a full review of all previously issued visas and work permits"
The review followed an audit of POGO-related entities in the zone. Taway said APECO found a POGO locator operating both inside its ecozone and inside the APECO Administration Building, and that facilities registered for tourism purposes were being used as housing for POGO workers, many of them foreign nationals1. In July 2024, the APECO Board approved the Revised Report and Recommendation on Visa Operations, which among other things directed the cancellation of Resident Visas1. APECO said it moved to phase out the lone POGO locator in the zone after Marcos announced the nationwide POGO ban in his 2024 State of the Nation Address1.
Under its charter, APECO is authorized to issue Investor's Visas to foreign nationals who invest at least USD150,000 in the Casiguran-based ecozone and meet entry requirements1. Taway said the zone has since redirected its focus toward national defense, clean energy, fishing and sustainable tourism1. The statement does not give figures for how many visas or work permits were reviewed, suspended or canceled, and no such numbers have been reported1.
What it means for players
APECO's visa actions concern people working in offshore gaming operations inside the zone, not betting itself. The Anti-POGO Act means any visa or work permit issued to persons engaged in offshore gaming and related activities is now deemed withdrawn1. For foreign nationals in the Philippines whose stay or work permission was tied to a POGO employer, that basis no longer exists under the law as described by APECO. The statement does not address what happens to those individuals, and no process for them has been reported1. Ordinary gambling by locals, expats and visitors is not covered by the measures described here. For background on which bodies license gambling in the region, see Gambling Regulators and Licenses in Asia: Who Licenses What and How to Check, and for the local market see Can I Gamble in the Philippines?.
What happens next
The statement sets out no further dated steps. It says APECO will continue under the new governance framework, without specifying measures or timelines1.
