Creating opportunities beyond gaming

PAGCOR earns over P373 billion in the past six years; contributes P238.74 billion to nation-building

MANILA, Philippines — Building a legacy that will leave a lasting mark even among the future generation is both a challenge and an opportunity. But for an agency that is passionately driven to respond to a higher call of service–despite the pandemic, a disrupted global economy and a fast-evolving gaming landscape—the best move has always been keeping one’s head above water. 

Staying afloat and adapting to the challenges of the times are some of the reasons why the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) continued to contribute significantly not only to the national coffers but also to nation-building. 

In the past six years (2016-2021), the state-run gaming agency generated P373.33 billion in revenues from its gaming operations and other related services. Of this amount, 64% or P238.74 billion was remitted to the government through PAGCOR’s mandated contributions and other Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs. 

The lion’s share of PAGCOR’s contributions to nation-building went to the National Treasury (P150.16 billion) as the 50% government share. The remittances to the National Treasury also included the P360 million contributions to the Dangerous Drugs Board, an agency tasked to create policies and strategies for drug prevention and control. 

Likewise, under the term of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, PAGCOR was tapped as a funding source for the Universal Health Care (UHC) law or Republic Act No. 11223, in which 50% of the state-gaming firm’s remittances to the National Treasury will be allocated to the to Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to fund the UHC benefits. 

Aside from these, PAGCOR remitted in the past six years a total of P15.84 billion to the Bureau of Internal Revenue as franchise taxes; P534.66 million Board of Claims, an agency under the Department of Justice; P46.32 billion for the Socio-Civic Project Fund – Office of the President; and P1.92 billion for cities and local government units that host a Casino Filipino branch or satellite. 

PAGCOR also continued to uphold sports development by remitting a total of P7.52 billion to the Philippine Sports Commission and P318.18 million in retirement benefits and cash incentives for athletes and their coaches who brought honor to the country after participating in international sports competitions. Further, the state-run gaming agency supported the government’s Early Childhood Care and Development program by remitting a total of P1.5 billion from 2016 to 2018.

The agency likewise supported initiatives to promote Philippine culture and heritage by remitting P200 million to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts from 2016 to 2017. Apart from these mandated contributions, PAGCOR paid P853.34 million in Corporate Income Tax, while its remitted cash dividends reached P48.94 billion.

Subsidies and grants to various national government agencies also reached P12.13 billion. Most of these grants were used for the procurement of state-of-the-art medical equipment, patrol vehicles and IT equipment for the law enforcement agencies and the improvement of healthcare services in government health facilities.

PAGCOR’s commitment to helping build a better nation has always gone beyond its mandate. As always, the agency continued to touch the lives of marginalized Filipinos through PAGCOR’s own CSR programs. Its flagship project, the Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center (MPEC) program will provide safe havens to disaster-prone communities. Since its launch in November 2020, PAGCOR has already approved a total of P3.50 billion for the construction of 77 MPECs in various parts of the country. 

The state-run gaming firm also unveiled in 2021 the “PAGCOR Village,” a charitable project that seeks to safeguard the living conditions of families displaced by the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas in 2020. The project, which has funding of P150 million—will benefit the towns of Agoncillo, Lemery, Balete, Mataas na Kahoy and Taal. 

The casino licensees, through their charitable arms, complemented PAGCOR’s mandate to improve public health facilities by constructing hospitals for OFWs, the PSG and the less fortunate communities in remote provinces. They likewise provided medical supplies and comfort kits for frontliners during the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of these major CSR programs, PAGCOR has been actively supporting the needs of less privileged Filipinos through relief missions in disaster-stricken areas, food caravans and financial grants to various organizations.