SWS: 7 of 10 Filipinos worried by presence of Chinese workers

The rising presence of Chinese workers in the country worry seven out of 10 adult Filipinos, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, as the government recently launched a crackdown against Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) which mostly employ Chinese nationals.

The noncommissioned survey, conducted from Sept. 27 to 30, found that 31 percent “worried a great deal,” while 39 percent are “somewhat worried.”

Highest in Metro Manila

The proportion of those who were worried about the increasing number of Chinese workers in the country was highest in Metro Manila at 75 percent, followed by the Visayas at 71 percent, Luzon outside Metro Manila (69 percent) and Mindanao (67 percent.)

About half of the respondents agree that the rising number of Chinese workers is a threat to national security, while 27 disagree, for a net score (agree minus disagree) of 25 percent.Threat to security

Those who believed the Chinese workers were a threat to security was highest in Metro Manila (38 percent), followed by Luzon outside Metro Manila (27 percent), Mindanao (21 percent) and the Visayas (15 percent).SWS said its survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,800 adults nationwide: 600 each in Balance Luzon and Mindanao, and 300 each in Metro Manila and the Visayas.  The poll had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.3 percent for national percentages.

Pogo services in PH

There are 218 Pogo service providers with 108,914 foreign workers operating in the Philippines.

In September, the Bureau of Internal Revenue closed down three Pogo service providers. On Nov. 30, President Duterte warned that he would not allow Pogos, which mostly employ Chinese nationals and cater to Chinese online gamblers, to defraud the Philippine government. —INQUIRER RESEARCH