Harry Roque assisted illegal POGO - Pagcor chief

Former presidential spokesman Harry Roque was the ex-Cabinet official who tried to facilitate the grant of a license to a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hub, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) chairman Alejandro Tengco told a Senate panel yesterday.

- CECILLE SUERTE FELIPE

During the continuation of the public hearing of the Senate committee on women, children and family affairs chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, Tengco clarified that Roque did not exert pressure, but merely assisted in the dealings of the Lucky South 99 POGO with PAGCOR in July last year.

Tengco said Roque and Lucky South 99 representative Cassandra Lee Ong met with him and Jessa Mariz Fernandez, PAGCOR assistant vice president for offshore gaming licensing department, on July 26, 2023.

“Former secretary Harry Roque came with a woman and he introduced us… He said that Ms. Cassandra Lee Ong has a problem about her paying all the billings of the company she represents in PAGCOR,” Tengco recalled.

Hontiveros said Roque and former PAGCOR chair Andrea Domingo will be invited to the next hearing to shed light on the information shared by Tengco.

Tengco said that Ong claimed their company owed over $500,000 (about P29 million) in arrears but their company had been coursing their financial obligations through Dennis Cunanan as the authorized company representative.

“She (Ong) claimed that she gives the money to Mr. Dennis Cunanan every month and she believes that it is paid to PAGCOR. So they were surprised when their office said that they have arrears of six months. That’s about $500,000,” he added.

Tengco said he asked Ong why she trusted Cunanan instead of going directly to the Landbank to settle their account with PAGCOR, to which Ong claimed she trusted Cunanan as he facilitated the license of their company. Tengco said Ong was just 19 years old and too young to represent the company.