The Philippine task force committed to getting online operators in line with existing laws and regulations is making progress, but it might be about to hit some brick walls. According to a recent report by local media, the group now has the start of a master list of foreign nationals working for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs)

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) released news of this list on March 29. A total of 76,936 employees are on it, working for 165 POGOs. Of that number, 63,855 are foreigners, or 82.9%. Only 17.1% are Filipinos, showing the vast disparity of hiring practices of the operators.

Digging deeper into the list, the task force’s problem becomes a bit more obvious. 56,180 currently working for POGOs are from China, representing 87.9% of all foreigners on the list. The rest is made up of fairly insignificant numbers of Vietnamese, Indonesians, Twaiwanese, Malaysian and Thai workers.

The problem with that massive Chinese number is clear when you look to comments by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte. In the past, he’s cautioned his government to use a light hand when treating Chinese workers, legal or illegal, in the county, for fear of reprisals against Filipino workers in China.