There are no reported criminal activities or kidnapping-related incidents in the offshore licensing industry for over three months, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporations (PAGCOR) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Their response comes after Senator Sherwin Gatchalian grilled the agency for being lenient with Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) considering the crimes linked to them.
"There have been no reported criminal activities or kidnapping-related incidents of workers in the offshore licensing industry for over three months," PAGCOR said in a statement, citing the result of their inter-agency cooperation meeting held last September 2022.
During the Senate hearing, Gatchalian sought the agency’s action against erring POGO firms Brickhartz Technology Inc. and MOA Cloudzone Corp., who were allegedly behind the kidnapping of a woman in Bacoor City, Cavite. The two companies are still operating to this day.
Brickhartz was fined around PHP 500,000, while they have yet to receive a report for MOA Cloudzone, a PAGCOR official said.
PAGCOR assured that they are closely monitoring the cases of both POGO companies. They added that the case lodged against MOA Cloudzone was dismissed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in November 2022, while that of Brickhartz Technology remains under investigation.
"PAGCOR wishes to reiterate that it does not take these reports lightly and it will ensure that all gaming licensees abide by the law," it said.
Pagcor further noted that “it is conscientiously looking into the matter and will take the necessary actions, including the cancellation of licenses and service provider accreditations if found warranted.”
Third-party auditor
In the same Senate hearing, Gatchalian flagged PAGCOR for entering into a PHP 6-billion consultancy contract with third-party auditor Global ComRCI in 2017 to monitor revenues of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), despite glaring inconsistencies in its documents.
He added that his research team found out that Global ComRCI engaged a certain Soleil Chartered Bank to certify that it had at least $25 million (around PHP 1.3 billion) in funds. This indicated that the third-party auditor was compliant with the requirement of having at least P1 billion in capital to serve as PAGCOR’s POGO Consultant.
However, PAGCOR said the awarding of the contract in December 2017 went through the proper bidding process and met all the legal requirements as stated in the procurement law.
It also pointed out that the contract with Global ComRCI has been under review since September last year.
“We assure the Senators that the review will soon be finished and released at the proper time. We have been in contact with Global ComRCI and are currently assessing the contract’s terms and conditions and the company’s performance,” Pagcor added.
