Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chairman Alejandro Tengco accused former presidential spokesman Harry Roque of having ties to a POGO operating company that was previously raided by the government.
During the Senate inquiry into the Philippine offshore gaming industry, Tenko said Roque served as legal counsel to the raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) Lucky South99. Tenko previously announced that he would reveal the identity of a former senior government official who "attempted to assist in the issuance of gaming licenses to some illegal POGOs."
GMANetwork quoted Tengke as saying that Roque and Lucky South 99’s Cassandra Lee Ong made an appointment with him to meet on July 26, 2023, to discuss the POGO company’s license and unpaid arrears. At the time, Roark was no longer a public official.
The PAGCOR chief recalled that Roque and Ong asked him to give Lucky South 99 a chance to pay six months of unpaid fees totaling $500,000 (P29 million).
It was revealed that the POGO company handed over the money to Dennis Cunanan, the authorized representative of Lucky South 99. However, Cunanan allegedly did not remit the amount to PAGCOR.
At the meeting on July 26, 2023, Jessa Mariz Fernandez, Assistant Vice President of PAGCOR’s Offshore Gaming Licensing Division, along with Tengco, met with Roque and Ong.
In August 2023, PAGCOR issued new guidelines regarding offshore gaming license holders and service provider licenses. In September, Lucky South 99 applied for a new license but was denied. Roque contacted Fernandez several times to follow up on the progress of Lucky South 99’s application and asked him to provide the documents needed to meet the requirements.
