Pagcor denies COA finding on ring giveaway

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) has contradicted the Commission on Audit (COA) finding that it spent P13.02 million on gold rings for its longtime employees in 2017—and singled out television network ABS-CBN for “contributing to the destabilization effort of those groups opposing the government.”

In a statement, Pagcor claimed on Thursday that the news report based on the COA’s 2017 annual audit report had “no basis.”

Practice halted in 2016

It said the awarding of 18-karat gold memento rings to employees who had completed 20 years of service was stopped by Pagcor chair and CEO Andrea Domingo in 2016, despite the COA unearthing such expenses in 2017.

State auditors had questioned the generous benefits and allowances given to Pagcor personnel totaling P334.8 million for exceeding the rates provided for by the 2017 General Appropriations Act and COA regulations.

Loyalty awards were found to be double the rates set by COA rules, while Pagcor’s higher-ranked officials were found to have received representation and transportation allowances that outranked even the department secretaries.

Regarding the auditors’ comment that some of the allowances were not approved by President Duterte, Pagcor insisted that its board of directors had the authority to craft its own personnel policies under Section 16 of Presidential Decree No. 1869.

‘Post facto approval’

Pagcor also continued to insist that the Governance Commission for government-owned and -controlled corporations granted it “post facto approval” of the compensation package on Nov. 8, 2011.