July 10, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) said former Philippine presidential spokesman Harry Roque was the “legal head” of a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) center in Pampanga province. Last month, the POGO center was raided twice by authorities on charges of human trafficking, torture and fraud.
According to Philstar, PAGCOR CEO Alejandro Alejandro H. Tengco revealed that Roque showed up at his office in July 2023 to provide legal support to Cassandra Lee Ong, who sought help from PAGCOR regarding Lucky South 99’s financial issues. Ong is the authorized representative of the massive POGO complex located in Porac, Pampanga.
Ong requested PAGCOR to allow Lucky South 99 to pay its unpaid taxes in installments The amount, Tenko estimates, is at least US$500,000.
Tengke said that in her appeal, Ong claimed to have been Dennis Cunanan, who allegedly collected six months' worth of taxes on Ong's behalf but failed to remit them to PAGCOR. Cunanan was reportedly the person who applied for the Lucky South 99 POGO permit.
The announcement was made before the Senate Committee on Women and Gender Equality. This was revealed during four hearings that discussed the possibility of banning POGOs in the country, as well as a case involving POGO mayor Alice Guo.
Harry Roque was President Rodrigo Du A former cabinet official under President Rodrigo Duterte who helped issue licenses for POGO centers.
According to local media reports, Tengke displayed products including Lucky South 99 Documents submitted, including an organizational chart, identifying Harry Roark as "Legal Officer."
In a video statement released Wednesday afternoon, Roque denied These charges clarify that he never had an attorney-client relationship with Lucky South 99.
He emphasized that when he assists them in re-applying for a license in 2023 At the time of certification, POGO centers had not yet been labeled illegal. Roque further stated that he did not authorize his inclusion in the POGO Center’s organizational chart.
