PAGCOR says contract with third-party POGO auditor under review

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) said on Wednesday that it is reviewing its contract with a third-party auditor tasked with auditing the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

In a statement, the PAGCOR said its contract with Global ComRCI was put under review last September 2022 following the assumption of the new leadership of the gaming industry regulator.

"We assure the senators that the review will soon be finished and released at the proper time," the PAGCOR said.

During a hearing of the Senate committees on ways and means and public order and dangerous drugs on Monday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said that the PAGCOR may have been duped by Global ComRCI, claiming that the third-party auditor had been awarded the contract based on a "spurious" bank certificate.

Global ComRCI was awarded a 10-year contract by the PAGCOR as early as 2017, and the agency said that the service provider went through the proper bidding process and met all the legal requirements under the Procurement Law.

"We have been in contact with Global ComRCI and are currently assessing the contract’s terms and conditions and the company’s performance," the gaming regulator said.

Meanwhile, the PAGCOR said that "there have been no reported criminal activities or kidnapping-related incidents of workers in the offshore licensing industry for over three months," resulting from inter-agency cooperation to combat illegal gaming operations, including offshore gaming.

The regulator said that it is closely monitoring the criminal charges against MOA Cloudzone Corp. and Brickhartz Technology Inc. 

While the charges against MOA Cloudzone were dismissed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on November 15, 2022, the complaint against Brickhartz Technology is still under investigation. 

In a separate statement, MOA Cloudzone said the DOJ dismissed the human trafficking charges filed by the Philippine National Police-Women and Children Protection Center (PNP-WCPC) against the company.

It said that a panel of prosecutors found that the PNP’s claim that the 13 complainants, who were allegedly recruited and forced to work against their will, were employees of MOA Cloudzone "was never substantiated."

Amid the alleged cases of kidnapping and trafficking involving POGO workers, the PAGCOR said "it does not take these reports lightly and it 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 warranted," it said. —VBL, GMA Integrated News