THE House Committee on Appropriations, chaired by Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Angela Suansing, on Wednesday began scrutinizing the accomplishments and future plans of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) in relation to the 2026 budget deliberations.
During the hearing, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez sounded the alarm over the rise of online gambling, describing it as an “epidemic” that has gripped the country.
“So many surveys and researches have shown that majority of people in the Philippines are already into online gambling,” he said, citing a 2023 report by Capstone Intel research firm that with the rise of technology and the internet, more people are turning to online betting.
“The results of the survey it conducted showed that across the country, out of 1,200 respondents, 64 percent or two-thirds of the people are now into online gambling,” Rodriguez said. He filed House Bill 3169, seeking a ban on all forms of online gambling,
Akbayan Party-list Rep. Chel Diokno said PAGCOR as the country’s gaming industry regulator has the power to ban or prohibit online gambling. He asked about PAGCOR’s rationale for allowing online gaming and the safeguards it implemented to wean Filipinos from the gambling habit.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco acknowledged the growth of online gambling not only in the country but worldwide.
“Totoo po na hindi lamang dito sa ating bansa kundi sa buong mundo (na) online gaming has grown exponentially for the past maybe two, three years, and I attribute that to technology. It started right after or I would say during the pandemic. In 2024, online gambling became a hundred billion dollar industry globally,” he said.
He clarified that PAGCOR had started operating online gambling even before his time.
Tengco assured the House that PAGCOR is trying its best to make certain adjustments needed to cope with the exponential growth of online gaming.
“Today, nakakalungkot mang sabihin wala pa pong 40 percent ang legal online gaming dito sa Pilipinas. At mahigit po 60 porsyento ang illegal pa sa pangkasalukuyan. Ang mga illegal sites na ito ay hindi po nag-o-operate dito sa ating bansa kung hindi ito po ay mga dayuhan tinatarget na customer mga Pilipino. Nakikipag-ugnayan po ang PAGCOR sa DICT (Department of Information and Communications Technology), sa CICC,(Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center). Ganoon din naman po sa PNP Cyber Crime Department gayun din po sa NBI, PNP para masugpo ito,” Tengco said.
He admitted difficulty in stopping illegal online gaming. “Unfortunately ay hirap na hirap nating mapigil itong illegal online gaming,” he said.
PAGCOR Assistant Vice President Ma. Cheryl de Guia reported that the firm generated a total income of P111.71 billion in 2024, higher than its 2023 income of P79.37 billion by P32.34 billion.
For fiscal year 2025, she said the estimated PAGCOR income is P116.651 billion, while for 2026 the projected income is P123.554 billion.
She said PAGCOR’s total contribution to nation-building programs and projects last year amounted to P68.20 billion, which is P18.64 billion higher than the 2023 contribution of P49.56 billion. For 2025, the contribution is expected to hit P77.196 billion and P81.160 billion in 2026.
She also presented PAGCOR’S payments/ contributions for franchise tax, Dangerous Drugs Board, host cities’ share, socio-civic projects, Philippine Sports Commission, Board of Claims, Renewable Energy Trust Fund, sports benefits and incentives, and corporate income tax, among others.
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