New York-based Soleil Chartered Bank (SCB) has categorically denied issuing a bank certificate that helped third party auditor Global ComRCI consortium win a P6 billion contract with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to audit the revenue of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) prompting Senator Win Gatchalian to call for the immediate termination of the deal.

With the conclusion of the National Awareness Week on the Prevention of Child Abuse and Exploitation, Senator Win Gatchalian is reiterating his call for a stronger crackdown on various forms of child trafficking, including the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC).

The supposed bank of third party auditor Global ComRCI contracted by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) has not been authorized at any point by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to conduct business in the country and thus cannot issue bank guarantees, Senator Win Gatchalian said.

An affiliate of Soleil Chartered bank has disowned any bank certification issued in favor of third party auditor Global ComRCI contracted by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), according to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Felipe Medalla’s letter to Senator Win Gatchalian.

Senator Win Gatchalian wants the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to conduct an inquiry into the alleged anomalous procurement of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) of a third party auditor in charge of determining the gross gaming revenues of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country.

Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill seeking to provide social protection for freelance workers in the country as the sector is expected to sustain growth moving forward.

Majority of Filipinos believe that the presence of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the Philippines is harmful to the country, said Senator Win Gatchalian, citing a survey conducted by Pulse Asia from November 27 to December 1 last year.

Senator Win Gatchalian lambasted the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) for its failure to comply with its own Terms of Reference (TOR) when it entered into a P6 billion contract with Global ComRCI, the third-party auditor consortium of Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs).

As the Senate Committee on Ways and Means resumes its hearing on the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), its chairman Senator Win Gatchalian vows to dig deeper into the implementation of Philippines laws, including taxes collected from POGOs, and the legal and regulatory compliance of third-party auditor consortium Global ComRCI which is tapped by the regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) to determine the proper Gross Gaming Revenues of licensed POGOs.