Duterte praises PAGCOR for its contributions amid Covid-19 pandemic

PAGCOR has received a commendation from the president of the Philippines for its vital contributions to the government’s Covid-19 response efforts.

The Philippines.- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has been held up as an example by president Rodrigo Duterte for its work during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Duterte, the regulator helped millions of Filipinos who were gravely affected by the pandemic despite a decline in revenues.

In 2021, PAGCOR reported net income for the year was down 86.9 per cent year-on-year to PHP203.6m (US$4.0m) mainly due to multiple countermeasures and lockdowns associated with the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the regulator and casino operator continues to remit funds for community projects.

PAGCOR president and COO Alfredo Lim said: “The pandemic may have gravely affected PAGCOR’s revenue generation efforts but it did not stop us from responding to the call of service.”

PAGCOR chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo added: “When the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act or Republic Act 11223 was signed into law in February 2019, PAGCOR was tapped as a funding source. Hence, 50 per cent of our remittances to the National Treasury are mandated to be transferred to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation at the end of each quarter.”

Earlier this month, the regulator picked up two awards at the National Privacy Commission’s 2022 Privacy Awareness Week. PAGCOR beat ten other nominees to win the Privacy Management Program Award (Government Sector). Data privacy officer Maria Concepcion Gloria-Rubio was named Data Protection Officer of the Year.