By Brian Jules Campued
Several senators challenged the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to name the former Cabinet member who allegedly lobbied for granting licenses to illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.
In a press release over the weekend, PAGCOR Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Alejandro Tengco said authorities should also investigate the role of former official in facilitating the grant of gaming licenses to illegal POGOs.
According to Tengco, out of 298 POGO licensees during the previous administration, the current government has managed to trim down the number to 43.
“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,” the PAGCOR chief stated.
Senate President Francis Escudero said that if PAGCOR would not name the official, the committee chaired and headed by Senators Risa Hontiveros and Sherwin Gatchalian should reveal them.
“PAGCOR should name the ‘official’. If not, committee chaired and headed by Senators [Risa] Hontiveros and [Sherwin] Gatchalian should unmask this official so that not all ‘former high-ranking Cabinet officials’ will be looked upon with suspicion, and find out if he/she violated any laws,” Escudero said.
For Gatchalian, Tengco should also release documents containing the name of the ‘official’ as any conflicts of interest or breaches of legal and ethical standards should be addressed.
“Dapat pangalan niya itong taong ‘to, ibigay niya ‘yung nalalaman niya. At hindi lang siguro pangalanan, kundi ‘yung mga dokumentong nandoon ang pangalan nitong taong ‘to, ilabas niya rin,” the senator said.
“Para hindi lang hearsay at umaabot na yung kanilang mga koneksiyon sa iba’t ibang hanay ng pamahalaan natin pati na rin sa Gabinete,” he added.
Hontiveros, meanwhile, noted the fact that “POGOs are being used as legal cover for scam hubs”.
Senator Joel Villanueva, for his part, renewed his call for the passage of Senate Bill 1281 seeking to prohibit POGOs and all forms of online gambling in the country, considering the revelation made by Tengco.
“They have infiltrated not only the business and gaming industries but also our government, allegedly, with local and even high-ranking officials serving as their protectors,” Villanueva said.
Meanwhile, the PAGCOR chief said that he would disclose the former Cabinet official’s identity as well as the circumstances that led to the proliferation of illegal and criminal offshore gaming operations in the “proper forum”.
“We are also ready to reveal the roles of other controversial individuals behind these criminal POGO enterprises,” Tengco said. (with report from Daniel Manalastas/PTV News)
