{"id":777019311,"date":"2024-09-24T10:06:25","date_gmt":"2024-09-24T13:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777019311"},"modified":"2026-04-22T05:50:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T08:50:36","slug":"philippine-offshore-gaming-operators-phividec-ia-investigates-firm-over-suspected-links","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/philippine-offshore-gaming-operators-phividec-ia-investigates-firm-over-suspected-links","title":{"rendered":"Philippine offshore gaming operators: Phividec-IA investigates firm over suspected links"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The company has refuted accusations of employing undocumented Chinese nationals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Philippines.- The Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation Industrial Authority (Phividec-IA) <\/strong>has said that it is investigating one of its listed locators, Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation (Phil-Sanjia)<\/strong> for alleged ties with offshore gaming operators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a congressional hearing, Benjamin Medrano<\/strong>, Phividec-IA acting deputy administrator for operations, said Phil-Sanjia in Misamis Oriental province is still in operation. He said it was suspected of having links to an offshore gaming operator in Cagayan de Oro City’s Barangay Cugman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phil-Sanjia began operations in 2018. Its 3,000-hectare estate is located between the municipalities of Tagoloan and Villanueva, covering 13 villages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a quad committee (quadcom) probe in the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Phil-Sanjia was identified as being owned by Tony Yang<\/strong>, who is thought to be Jian Yang Xin and the elder brother of Michael Yang, an economic adviser to the Duterte administration. However, Phil-Sanjia said that Yang Xin, registered as Antonio Lim, is no longer the company’s president. The company has refuted accusations of employing undocumented Chinese nationals and storing smuggled rice and other contraband.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phividec-IA, created on August 13, 1974, through Presidential Decree No. 538, was established to promote economic and social growth and to create Phividec Industrial Areas through presidential proclamations. Medrano said Phividec-IA is prepared to cooperate with the quadcom despite its absence from last Friday’s hearing due to the late invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See also: <\/strong>Philippine DOJ sets deadline for foreign offshore gaming workers to voluntarily repatriate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The company has refuted accusations of employing undocumented Chinese nationals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":21794,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"The Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation Industrial Authority (Phividec-IA) is investigating Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation (Phil-Sanjia) for alleged ties to offshore gaming operators in Cagayan de Oro City. This probe, initiated during a congressional hearing, also addresses accusations of employing undocumented Chinese nationals and storing contraband. The investigation underscores heightened regulatory scrutiny within the Philippine iGaming sector and broader governance frameworks.","focusai_entities":"Philippine Veterans Investment Development Corporation Industrial Authority, Phividec-IA, Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corporation, Phil-Sanjia, Benjamin Medrano, Tony Yang, Jian Yang Xin, Antonio Lim, Michael Yang, Duterte administration, House of Representatives, Philippine DOJ","focusai_location":"Philippines, Misamis Oriental province, Cagayan de Oro City, Barangay Cugman, Tagoloan, Villanueva, Quezon City","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (1.0), compliance_legal (0.95), operator_casino (0.85), investor_analyst (0.9), journalist_researcher (0.95)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"POGO Regulatory Impact?","query":"What specific regulatory actions or penalties could offshore gaming operators face if their alleged ties to Phil-Sanjia and associated illicit activities are substantiated by Phividec-IA?"},{"label":"B2B Licensing Implications?","query":"How might this investigation impact the broader B2B licensing and operational landscape for iGaming entities and their suppliers within Phividec Industrial Areas, particularly concerning due diligence requirements?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[154,16333],"tags":[23911],"class_list":["post-777019311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-legislation-news","category-south-east-asia-news","tag-gambling-regulation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777019311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777019311"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777019311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777019314,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777019311\/revisions\/777019314"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777019311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777019311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777019311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}