MANILA, Philippines – Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is the “legal head” of recently-raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) Lucky South 99, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chairman Alejandro Tengco confirmed to a Senate panel on Wednesday, July 10.
Tengco also told the fourth hearing of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality on illegal POGOs that Roque had liaised for the POGO and that the former Cabinet secretary had brought Lucky South 99’s authorized representative, Katherine Cassandra Ong, to his office for a meeting in July 2023.
Pagcor Assistant Vice President for Offshore Gaming License Department Jessa Mariz Fernandez was also at the meeting with Roque and Ong, who was among those subpoenaed by the Senate panel that day to attend the hearings.
Tengco said Ong was having problems in relation to Lucky South 99’s arrears with Pagcor totaling $500,000, as she had entrusted their Pagcor payments to Dennis Cunanan who did not allegedly remit to Pagcor. She asked to be allowed to pay in installment.
After Lucky South 99 applied for a new license under Pagcor’s new guidelines in September 2023, Roque followed up with Fernandez’s office to check on the application several times. The application for a license was eventually rejected.
The Pagcor officials clarified that Roque did not any exert any pressure on them and only liaised for Lucky South 99.
Roque earlier claimed that he had no direct links to Lucky South 99, even after Rappler obtained the document showing him as the “legal head” in the organizational chart of the POGO. The Rappler report bearing the document was cited in the Wednesday hearing.
On June 29, Tengco said in a press statement that a “former high-ranking government official” tried to facilitate the grant of gaming licenses to some of the POGOs that were raided and found to be involved in illegal activities but that he would only reveal the name “in the proper forum.” – Rappler.com
