PAGCOR chairman welcomes probe into alleged missing bond

PAGCOR chairman Alejandro H. Tengco said it’s “an opportunity to find out the truth”.

The Philippines.- Alejandro H. Tengco, chairman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), has welcomed the filing of charges against him and former PAGCOR board members regarding the alleged disappearance of a PHP75m performance bond posted by an e-sabong company. 

Tengco, who assumed office in August 2022, said that while the incident occurred during the previous administration, he views it as “an opportunity to find out the truth and determine accountability within the agency.”

RJoaquin Sy, who claims to be the chairman and chief finance officer of Kamura Highlands Gaming and Holdings, has filed charges of malversation of public funds, qualified theft and falsification of private and commercial documents with the Ombudsman. 

Named respondents include former PAGCOR chief Andrea Domingo, former board members Gabriel Claudio, Carmen Pedrosa, Reynaldo Concordia, and James Patrick Bondoc, along with current PAGCOR officer Dianne Erica Jogno.

Tengco clarified that PAGCOR has not yet received any formal complaint from the Ombudsman. He said: “We have launched an internal investigation and we are trying to recreate the sequence of events since the department allegedly involved, the E-Sabong Licensing Department, has already been disbanded.”

He added: “Former President Duterte outlawed e-sabong in May 2022 and the people in the E-Sabong Licensing Department have since been reassigned to other units so now we are trying to retrace the supposed anomalous transaction.

“While this happened before we came to PAGCOR, the public can rest assured that we will get to the bottom of this, and that we will respond to the accusations against us in the proper venue once we receive a copy of the alleged charges from the Ombudsman.”