Palace: Freebies for Pagcor OK

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Malacañang on Tuesday said there was nothing wrong with Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chairman Cristino Naguiat accepting free accommodations and gifts from the Wynn chain of casino hotels as this was “an industry practice and saves expenses for the government.”

According to presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Naguiat did not personally profit from the freebies.

In a press briefing, Lacierda said President Benigno Aquino III had accepted Naguiat’s explanation on the matter which was revealed in a dispute between Wynn Resorts Ltd. chief executive Steve Wynn and Japanese gambling tycoon Kazuo Okada.

Wynn had accused Okada of making improper cash payments and gifts totaling about $110,000 to gaming regulators, including those in Philippines—in this case, Pagcor.

The report alleged that Pagcor officials had received dinners, Chanel bags and suites at Wynn Macau, all courtesy of Okada, chair of Universal Entertainment Corp.

“(The President has accepted Naguiat’s explanation) in the matter of being able to save on costs, that is beneficial to the government and chair Naguiat never profited from it personally anyway,” Lacierda said.

“Look, it’s cheaper for us: When they come here we pay for them and when we go there they pay for (our) accommodations. From that perspective, we save more on the cost,” he said.

Asked whether this kind of arrangement was not in conflict with the President’s clean governance campaign, Lacierda said there was no conflict because Okada had been granted a provisional license as far back as 2008 to do business with Pagcor.