PAGCOR assists the victims of two fires in Quezon City

PAGCOR has aided victims in Barangay Obrero and Barangay UP Campus in Diliman.

The Philippines.- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has given aid to the victims of two fires in Quezon City. The regulator distributed 250 non-food packages containing blankets, mosquito nets, slippers and toiletries on October 13 to people affected by a fire in Barangay Obrero on September 8.

It also coordinated the relief efforts with the Philippine National Police Community Assistance and Development Division (PNP-CADD).

Earlier this month, PAGCOR distributed PHP240,000 in cash assistance to the families of eight people who died in a fire that destroyed several houses in Barangay UP Campus in Diliman, Quezon City last May.

Also this week, the regulator donated PHP19.5m (US$331m) to organisations and local government institutions. The recipients were the Kaginhawaan Development Institute (KDI), Organization of Student Services Educators (OSSEI), Wounded Soldiers Agriculture Cooperative (WSAC), Provincial Government of Isabela and Barangay Bautista, City of San Pablo, Laguna.

Meanwhile, the government is debating whether to end PAGCOR’s dual responsibilities by privatising its gaming operations. In August, Benjamin E. Diokno, the Philippines’ finance secretary, said that the issue of PAGCOR’s potential conflict of interest needed to be resolved.

Diokno said: “Pagcor’s new leadership will have to make their own plans moving forward. They should resolve the seemingly conflicting roles as an operator and regulator.”

PAGCOR currently regulates, authorises and licenses gaming in the Philippines but it also operates over 40 casinos itself. The regulator reported net income of PHP2.16bn (US$38.8m) for the first half of the year, up 2,600 per cent when compared to last year.