CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — “Palagay ko itong hearing na ito, maging wake-up call sa inyo, Pagcor. Sa tingin ko may mga lapses kayo. Yung mga agencies na dapat niyong ka-partner na-disregard niyo eh. Kulang kayo ng coordination kaya ang nangyayari ngayon, turuan.”
Thus, Vice Gov. Lilia “Nanay” Pineda admonished the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. in the course of the second hearing of the sangguniang panlalawigan on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators held on June 21.
The hearings came in the wake of the recent raid by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime on the Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Inc. in Porac town for illicit activities including human trafficking, torture, and cyber scamming.
Pineda lamented how the POGO, dubbed as a haven of criminality, has adversely impacted the image of Pampanga. “Kayo Pagcor, dapat binriefing niyo ang LGU. Yung damage sa amin done na. Wala na tayong magagawa don. Aminin mo may lapses kayo, di ba? Ang hinihingi lang sa LGU, no objection. Dapat hindi lang yun ang hinihingi,” Pineda said, referencing the letter of no objection (LONO) required from the LGU for the licensing of POGOs by Pagcor.
In the case of Porac, a LONO issued to Lucky South 99 was for business process outsourcing, not for a POGO. Porac Mayor Jaime Capil faulted Pagcor for the POGO mess claiming “it is the only government entity to inspect the area” even as he admitted that the local government unit conducted its own inspection but were prevented from entering the premises.
Board member Atty. Ananias Canlas Jr. testily lectured Capil on the visitorial rights of LGUs over suspicious businesses in their respective domain as enshrined in the Local Government Code which the mayor could have invoked to gain entry to the Lucky South 99 premises.
Lawyer Jessa Mariz Fernandez, Pagcor assistant vice president for offshore gaming licensing department, clarified that POGO licenses are “site-specific” in terms of monitoring and inspection, such as the Thai Court where Lucky South 99 is located.
“In 2019, when the license was issued, it was specifically for Thai Court. The license is tied to this particular building, as it was the only structure existing at the time. Lucky South 99 did not apply for additional buildings within the compound,” Fernandez said.
She added that the license of Lucky South had expired in 2023 and when the firm reapplied in 2024, the license was not approved, making its operations in Porac thereafter illegal.
Red flags
Some revelations during the hearing could have immediately raised flags for the authorities, both national and local, had they been noted, the vice governor lamented.
Records from the Angeles Electric Corp. that supplied power to the Lucky South 99 site showed it accrued a monthly electricity bill of some P12 million.
Discrepancies in the number of the POGO employees were noted in the records of the Department of Labor and Employment issuing alien employment permits to 149 Lucky South 99 workers, the Bureau of Immigration granting visas to 883 foreigners, mostly Chinese, with links to the Pogo firm.
Both the Social Security System and PhilHealth have no record of Lucky South 99 as an employer.
New find
At the hearing also surfaced the discovery of a compound in Barangay Señora, also in Porac, with a mansion and a “lake-like” feature that was reportedly registered to one of the staff of Lucky South 99. The Porac municipal engineer said no building permit was issued for the property.
The Pampanga Electric Cooperative II also noted the “unusually high” kVA (kilovolt ampere) requirement of the compound in its application for connection.
Separate inspection teams from the Porac municipal assessor’s office and PELCO2 reported being prevented entry to the premises.
Pagcor grateful
At the close of the hearing, Pagcor AVP Fernandez thanked the sangguniang panlalawigan for the “opportunity” not only of hearing the agency’s side but moreso for the “inputs” that will help Pagcor craft better policies in pursuing its mandate.
“Mas maraming dapat gawin,” she said, noting, among others, the need for policies and measures for closer coordination between and among Pagcor, national government agencies, and the LGUs in the management of the gaming industry. Photos: Pampanga PIO
