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Pagcor chief to name ex-Cabinet official linked to illegal POGO

Philippines | National

Pagcor chief to name ex-Cabinet official linked to illegal POGO

By Chino S. Leyco

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) said it would name a former high-ranking government official who lobbied for illicit offshore gaming operations.

However, Alejandro H. Tengco, Pagcor chairman and chief executive, stated that he would unveil the name of this former Cabinet member only in the “proper forum.”

Tengco revealed that the unnamed ex-Cabinet official had been lobbying in favor of illegal POGOs that contributed to the expansion of unlawful and nefarious offshore gaming activities.

“As a regulator, it is our mandate to ensure that only those with valid licenses are allowed to operate all forms of gambling and gaming activities, whether these are land-based casinos or online platforms,” Tengco said in a statement on Saturday, June 29.

“It is in the interest of the government to crack the whip against illegal operators, including the so-called offshore gaming operators or POGOs and their backers, because the criminal activities associated with their illegal operations pose serious threats to our people,” he added.

The Pagcor chief explained that the current administration has been doing its part to weed out illegal operators, resulting in a significant decrease in the number of licensees from 298 during the previous administration to only 43 licensees now.

“What we need to question, in the first place, was how those 298 POGO licensees were able to secure their licensees in the past because clearly, during our cleansing process, we found most of them to be ineligible and outright suspicious,” Tengco said.

“We are also ready to reveal the roles of other controversial individuals behind these criminal POGO enterprises,” he added.

Related Tags

Pagcor chair and CEO illegal pogo Alejandro H. Tengco

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