The board of the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority approved a Revised Report and Recommendation on Visa Operations in July 2024 that, among other things, directed the cancellation of Resident Visas, according to a statement from APECO President and CEO Atty. Gil G. Taway IV1.
The statement, published on November 4, 2025, sets out the timeline of the zone's visa review. Taway said the new APECO management, which took office in October 2023, ordered a comprehensive audit of all POGO-related entities in the zone, and that on November 3, 2023 it temporarily suspended visa issuances to allow a full review of all previously issued visas and work permits1. The July 2024 board approval of the revised report followed1.
Taway said the audit found a POGO locator operating both inside the 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. He said APECO moved to phase out the lone POGO locator in the zone after President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced a nationwide POGO ban in his 2024 State of the Nation Address1.
The statement was issued after Marcos signed Republic Act No. 12312, the Anti-POGO Act of 20251. Taway said the law revokes the authority previously granted to special economic zones, freeport authorities and investment promotion agencies, including APECO, to issue licenses, permits or accreditations to POGOs, their content providers and service providers, and that any visa or work permit issued to persons engaged in offshore gaming and related activities is now deemed withdrawn1.
"in July 2024, the APECO Board approved the Revised Report and Recommendation on Visa Operations which, among other things, directed the cancellation of Resident Visas."
APECO's charter authorizes it 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 redirected its focus toward national defense, clean energy, fishing and sustainable tourism1. The statement does not say how many Resident Visas were canceled, when cancellations took effect, or which nationalities were affected; those details have not been reported1.
What it means for players
The visa actions described concern people tied to offshore gaming operations in the APECO zone, not casino customers. Gambling rules in the Philippines turn partly on whether a person counts as a resident or a visitor, and visa status is one of the things that can decide which rules apply, as set out in our guide to when an expat counts as a resident for gambling rules. Anyone holding an APECO-issued Resident Visa should note that the board directed its cancellation, though the statement gives no dates or numbers. For the wider picture of what is open to residents and visitors, see Can I Gamble in the Philippines? and Gambling in Asia for Expats and Visitors.
What happens next
The Anti-POGO Act of 2025 is signed, and under it visas and work permits issued to people engaged in offshore gaming and related activities are deemed withdrawn1. APECO has not reported further steps on the canceled Resident Visas beyond the July 2024 board approval1.
