PAGCOR urge to study opposition versus e-bingo

THE CITY Council decided to transmit to the State-owned Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCO|R) the transcript of the public hearing conducted on August 14, 2017 relative to the status of electronic and traditional bingo outlets in the different parts of the city.

The local legislative body was forced to transmit the transcript of the public hearing and its recent deliberations on electronic and traditional bingo to PAGCOR after it failed to reach a consensus among its members on whether or not to rescind previous resolutions that interposed no objection to the operation of several electronic and traditional bingo outlets in the different parts of the city.

Local legislators were also constrained to come out with the collective decision even if it was uncovered there were some alleged misrepresentations on the part of Bingo Palace Corporation and Highland Gaming Corporation in their applications for the no-objection resolution from the City Council to operate their electronic and traditional bingo outlets at the Albergo Hotel, SM City Baguio and Baguio Center Mall.

In the letter request dated April 18, 2017 of Bingo Palace Corporation, executive vice president Alejandro Alonte and president Jimmy Ong signed the request for a no-objection resolution for the company to operate an electronic and tradi-

tional bingo outlet in Albergo Hotel along Villamor Drive, Baguio City while in the same request of Highland Bingo Corporation, the letter was signed by Alonte who was also the executive vice president for operations and marketing of the company.

It was also discovered both Bingo Palace Corporation and Highland Bingo Corporation have the same address at 26th Floor, PSE Center, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Some local legislators believe with the aforesaid findings, there are already traces of alleged misrepresentation on the part of the two companies which should be investigated by inviting the concerned officials to appear during one of the council’s regular sessions but the proposal was rejected by a majority of the councillors for still unknown reasons.

The council also filed to act on the proposal to rescind two resolutions, specifically Resolution Nos. 176 and 176-A, that interposed no-objection to the operation of the electronic and traditional bingo outlets at Albergo Hotel, SM City Baguio and Baguio Center Mall, after the motion to approve the said proposal was lost during the deliberations.

The two controversial resolutions were approved by the City Council during its regular session last May 22, 2017, when it was calendared in the other matters category of the agenda upon conformity of majority of the members of the local legislative body.

Under the revised PAGCOR rules on the applications for electronic and traditional bingo outlets, applicants must secure the no-objection letter or resolution from the concerned local government unit prior to the approval to operate the said amusement games. Dexter See/ Baguio City PIO