Speaker wants to reduce PAGCOR’s power

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez wants casinos to secure franchises from Congress, as he believes PAGCOR can’t regulate and operate gaming venues.

Philippines.- Pantaleon Alvarez, Philippines House Speaker, stated on Monday that casinos (as well as mining companies and public transport) should be required to secure franchises from Congress. He believes that the current setup is “chaotic” and wants to “make certain the public’s interest will always be protected.”

Alvarez spoke at the second regular session opening of the 17th Congress and referred to Philippines ongoing structure which has the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (PAGCOR) regulating and operating casinos. The Speaker said that legislative franchises “will make certain that [casino] applications are scrutinised deeply. Only the deserving will be allowed to operate.”

“It does not make sense for it to regulate and operate. An entity that has this power runs the risk of dealing itself a favorable hand while undercutting others,” he commented on PAGCOR, according to ABS-CBN News.

The Congress-franchise system is already being applied to telecommunications and broadcast companies under present laws. Who also wants to remove influence from PAGCOR is Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, who announced he would file a bill to transfer regulation and licensing power from the corporation to Congress after the attack at the Resorts World Manila that left 38 people killed.