Philippine gaming regulator PAGCOR has made it clear that it maintains regulatory oversight of the Freeport Area of Bataan following recent comments from one of its own suggesting the opposite.
In a statement issued early Tuesday, PAGCOR refuted the comments of Joseph Lobo – a senior official of its Offshore Gaming Licensing Department – who stated last week that the agency has no authority over a suspected POGO operator in Bataan and pointed to the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) as the relevant regulatory body.
PAGCOR “seeks to rectify this statement,” it said.
“Republic Act No. 9728 grants the AFAB the power to oversee certain tourism-related activities within the Freeport Area of Bataan including games, amusements, recreational and sports activities subject to the approval and supervision of PAGCOR.
“This underscores the fact that while AFAB may regulate specific activities and exercise authority within its jurisdiction, its power to issue licenses for gaming operations remains conditional and subject to PAGCOR’s oversight and approval.”
On the company in question, Central One Bataan, PAGCOR added that its involvement in online gaming activities clearly subject it to PAGCOR’s jurisdiction and regulatory authority.
The statement follows a raid on Central One Bataan’s facility in the freeport last month by law enforcement officers over suspicions it was involved in human trafficking and other activities, and a subsequent press briefing by Central One last week in which it refuted the POGO claims, decried the raid as unlawful and insisted it was operating legally under the framework set by the AFAB, which it said issued them a gaming license.
PAGCOR noted in its statement that Central One Bataan is not one of the companies licensed by PAGCOR to legally operate such activities.
“PAGCOR shares the perspective that offshore gaming companies misrepresenting themselves as BPOs (business process outsourcing companies) should be treated as a serious concern,” it said. “To effectively address illegal gaming operations, companies that misuse the BPO designation must also be scrutinized and held accountable.”
The regulatory powers of the Philippines’ freeport zones recently came into question following President Ferdinand Marcos’s ban on POGOs. It had been suggested by the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority that it should be exempt from the ban, however the Presidential Palace has since made it clear that no such exemptions are in place, with the POGO ban to be fully implemented nationwide by 31 December 2024.
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