Ex-Cabinet man lobbied for illegal POGOs – PAGCOR

MANILA, Philippines — A former Cabinet official facilitated the grant of gaming licenses to Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), according to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

In a statement, PAGCOR chief executive officer Alejandro Tengco said that those investigating the suspicious activities of former POGO licensees must also look into the role of former officials and their conduits in the grant of licenses to POGO applicants with dubious backgrounds.

“We are also ready to reveal the roles of other controversial individuals behind these criminal POGO enterprises,” Tengco said. Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she would call for a hearing on Tengco’s allegations.

The PAGCOR chief said the current administration has been weeding out illegal operators, significantly decreasing the number of licenses 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 licenses in the past because clearly, during our cleansing process, we found most of them to be ineligible and outright suspicious,” Tengco said.

He said he would name the official at the proper forum.

“We are calling a next hearing and I hope the PAGCOR chief deems it the right forum to reveal what he knows,” Hontiveros said.

She urged Tengco to attend the hearing instead of sending a representative.

Hontiveros reiterated her position that POGOs are being used as cover by criminal syndicates to commit scams and human trafficking.

“Whoever that ex-Cabinet official turns out to be, the fact remains: POGOs are being used as a legal cover for scam hubs. Our investigation was able to prove that even the legal ones with PAGCOR licenses have criminal activities,” Hontiveros said.

PAGCOR should not differentiate between legal and illegal POGOs, Hontiveros said, renewing her call for the administration to ban POGOs.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said PAGCOR should have informed the Senate during the previous hearings about the involvement of former government officials in illegal POGOs.

Gatchalian said the Senate could be the proper venue for PAGCOR to disclose the results of its investigation.

“This is a teaser from the PAGCOR chairman. But as I understand it, their investigation is ongoing. Let us wait for them to finish before naming the person whose reputation is at stake,” he added.

He said he would give way to the PAGCOR investigation and await its results.

Hontiveros earlier said suspended Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and her cohorts have friends in high places who were also involved in past controversies previously investigated by the Senate. — Marc Jayson Cayabyab