BAGAC, Bataan: Central One Bataan, a Malaysian – owned service provider based here, was authorized to operate interactive gaming similar to the controversial Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO).
The difference, however, is that the license in interactive gaming is issued by the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) while POGO is under approval by PAGCOR.
This, Malaysian Normann Chaw, Central One chief executive officer, and AFAB director Aurelio Angeles, explained during the ocular visit and observation by a group of the operation of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) facilities Tuesday.
Chaw acted as a tour guide to a group composed of local mediamen and government officials headed by Gov. Jose Enrique Garcia 3rd, Bagac Mayor Ramil del Rosario and Orion Mayor Tony Raymundo, president of the Bataan League of Municipalities.
The CEO showed the group the work area, sport facilities like basketball court, physical fitness gym. He said they have six two-story buildings in the 2.6 hectare- area. Their total investment, he said, was P600 million.
With BPO as their business starting 2022, they have 1,500 workers of which 90 are expatriates composed of Malaysians, Taiwanese, Brazilians and Indonesians and the rest Filipinos. “No Chinese, unfortunately, I don’t speak their language,” he said.
Garcia asked questions from Chaw as to who the clients of Central One are, what license they have and whether they are POGO or BPO license holder to have better understanding into the operations of the company.
Chaw explained that companies under PAGCOR are doing offshore gaming operations labelled as POGO. “Central One is under AFAB that we are just in interactive gaming. Our customers are in Cyprus. While we have the master license from AFAB to do all these gaming operations but currently we are doing BPO as a business.”
Atty. Angeles said that AFAB does not use the term POGO but interactive gaming that is within its charter. “We have the authority to allow interactive gaming basically POGO but we don’t call it POGO, we call it interactive gaming.”
He said that Central One in the beginning stages of its settlement in Bagac as a company applied as an accredited service provider. “Accredited service provider siya wala siyang license to interactive gaming but earlier this year they got master license from AFAB on interactive gaming.”
“They are still not engaging in interactive gaming. They are still in BPO only as an accredited service provider and they mentioned that it could take time before they go into actual interactive gaming,” the AFAB director said.
“They have to do with all the compliance, they have to assemble their team because that will take another set of skills and knowledge that they will need so they will have to recruit more people for that other than what they are actually doing now. So, as of now they are allowed to interactive gaming based on their license but they don’t do that yet. They will inform us,” Angeles said.
The governor explained the purpose of the visit. “Kaysa hintayin pa mga authorities na bumaba, mag-raid, etc, tayo na sa local government units ang gumawa ng paraan para mag-inspect. Siguraduhin na walang ilegal na nangyayari sa mga negosyo lalo na sa mga BPO or POGO sa iba’t ibang lugar ng ating mga probinsya.”
‘So, in this case dito nga sa Bataan although nabisita na nga natin noong nakaraan kaya isinama na nga rin namin kayo para na din sa request ng PAOCC na tayo na rin ang gumawa ng due diligence, ng inspection para siguradong safe ang ating mga kababayan, na walang illegal na nangyayari,” Garcia furthered.
“Sa ngayon katulad ng nakita niyo siguro dito sa Central One ay tingnan ninyo kausapin niyo ang mga empleyado. Marami sa kanila ay mukhang maayos, marami sa kanila ay happy naman sa kanilang ginagawa at medyo mas maganda nga ang kita nila sa ibang mga oportunidad dito sa ating lalawigan,” the governor said.
Garcia said the visit was his second and that they have not seen any actual gaming operations in the company.
Mayor del Rosario said they are monitoring the operation of the company. “Based on our observation with the governor, nakita ko naman na wala naman silang illegal na ginagawa at siyempre, hindi naman ngayon lang matatapos iyan kaya patuloy nating babantayan.”
“Magtiwala tayo sa governor, sa congressman hindi naman tayo ilalagay sa alanganin ng mga ‘yan. Nakita niyo naman sila pa ang naggawa ng paraan para kasama kayo, kasama tayo na maobserbahan kung ano ba talaga ang nangyayari dito sa Central One,” he said.
“Tingnan natin ang bright side. Ang dami nating mga kababayan na nabibiyan ng trabaho na importante. Sa bayan ng Bagac, namamalengke sila diyan humigit- kumulang P10M buwan- buwan ang ginagastos sa pagkain,” the mayor said
“Ilan ang namamalengke, ilan na may apartment, na kumikita ang lalawigan ng Bataan. So, sa side na ‘yan ako naniniwala na maganda ito. Siyempre, may mga agam-agam pa rin tayo kaya umasa kayo na patuloy namin itong babantayan.” Del Rosario added. (30)
