COA says Pagcor owes PSC P4 billion in remittances

MANILA, Philippines — Advocates for the full remittance of the Philippine Sports Commission’s share from the income of state-run casinos got a big boost as the Commission on Audit took note of  the “incorrect computation” by the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) of the sports body’s share.

Per Republic Act 6847, the PSC should be receiving 5 percent of Pagcor’s gross income but as has been the practice since 1995, only 2.5 percent has been remitted while the remaining half goes to the Office of the President.

According to the CoA report, Pagcor’s remittances to the PSC’s National Sports Development Fund or NSDF were “deficient by over P4 billion from 2015-17”. 

The audit body recommended that the PSC “bill Pagcor for the under-remitted share for 2015 to 2017” and “demand immediate remittance thereof” and to request the latter to “properly compute PSC’s share based on gross/aggregate income from all sources without deducting the franchise tax and government share” and “automatically remit the same without delay.”

“CoA has come out with information that PSC has been deprived by Pagcor of what is due them, which is 5 percent gross. So we’ll take this information to the President and request him to study this. He might change the policy and bring back the PSC’s 5 percent share,” said weightlifting president Monico Puentevella, who was commissioner when the former President Ramos transferred half of the monthly remittance to his office in 1995.

“On Monday, there will be a sendoff at Malacañang (for the Philippine delegation to the Asian Games) and I’ll try to bring this matter to the President,” added Puentevella. 

The PSC uses the NSDF to finance the country’s integrated sports development program, including the holding of the national games and all other sports competitions at all levels nationwide as well as the participation in international meets such as Olympics, Asian Games, and Southeast Asian Games.