Pacific Online distances self from rift between PGMC, PCSO

MANILA, Philippines - Pacific Online Systems Corp. said yesterday it “has no business dictating to the government” and that it respects the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) as regulator of all lottery games in the country.

Pacific Online chairman and president Willy N. Ocier pointed out that the PCSO, under the Office of the President, has “the last say as far as approval of agents and service providers anywhere in the country.”

Ocier issued this statement after Prime Gaming Management Corp. (PGMC) accused PCSO management of favoring rival firm Pacific Online.

PGMC, the Philippine gaming unit of Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya Group, is at odds with the PCSO for allowing Pacific Online to infringe in what it perceives to be its exclusive territory, which is Luzon.

“PGMC and Pacific Online are systems and service providers.  We have no business dictating to the PCSO and the government,” Ocier said.

PGMC claimed that the PCSO breached the exclusivity agreement they entered into over the Luzon area and a prohibition against entering into government contracts without any bidding.

“Pacific Online welcomes healthy competition as it best serves the interest of the PCSO and the government. Our company is a supplier of gaming systems and aspires to deliver optimism service to the PCSO at efficient cost to the government,” Ocier said.

Ocier also took exception to PGMC’s claim that Pacific Online was a losing bidder, saying they were awarded the Visayas-Mindanao area in 1993.

PGMC, however, said it was ready to wage a battle against the PCSO as its decision has put PGMC at a disadvantage.

 “We have all the documents to prove our allegations and we are now prepared to go all out to expose what PCSO has been doing against a foreign investor and its local shareholders.  We are doing this after exhausting all means to resolve these issues with the present PCSO,” said Jose Bernas, legal counsel of PGMC.