Zero POGO crimes in last 3 months: PAGCOR
There have been no reported criminal activities or kidnapping-related incidents of workers in the offshore licensing industry for over three months.
This, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation emphasized yesterday as it sought to correct the misinformation that arose from the Senate hearing last Monday that tackled the country’s offshore gaming license operations.
While it thanked the Senate for the opportunity to clarify matters, it stressed in a statement that the clean slate of the last three months was due to the inter-agency cooperation meeting last September 2022 involving PAGCOR, the Philippine National Police, National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government to combat illegal gaming operations, including offshore gaming..
Likewise, partnerships with the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, the Bureau of Immigration and the Anti-Money Laundering Council were strengthened, PAGCOR said, to forestall any illegal activities and labor practices related to offshore gaming operations.
PAGCOR, it said, has been closely monitoring the cases involving MOA Cloudzone Corp. and Brickhartz Technology Inc.
“While the former’s case was dismissed by the DoJ on November 5, 2022, the case involving Brickhartz Technology Inc. is still under investigation. We are coordinating with the PNP and other agencies regarding this matter,” the statement said.
PAGCOR, it added, wishes to reiterate that it does not take these reports lightly and will ensure that all gaming licensees abide by the law.
“PAGCOR reassures the public 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,” the agency said.
Third-party auditor
PAGCOR’s third-party auditor for offshore licensees — Global ComRCI —was awarded the contract in December 2017. The service provider went through proper bidding process and met all the legal requirements under the Procurement law.
With the assumption of the new leadership of PAGCOR, the contract of Global ComRCI was put under review last September 2022.
“We assure the Senators that the review will soon be finished and released at the proper time,” the statement said. “We have been in contact with Global ComRCI and are currently assessing the contract’s terms and conditions and the company’s performance.