PAGCOR boosts PSC remittance

Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chairman Alejandro Tengco said that remittances to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) may reach up to P700 million each month in accordance with a Supreme Court ruling on a case that was filed in 2016.

The case that Tengco referenced was a petition for mandamus submitted by former congressman Yeng Guiao demanding for proper funding to the PSC received through the five percent gross income of PAGCOR.

Guiao challenged the executive order of former President Fidel Ramos that reduced the remittances of the gambling regulator to 2.17 percent starting 1993, amending a provision of the Philippine Sports Commission Act.

In its official ruling on the matter issued in 2025, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the petitioner, reinstating the five percent gross income guideline and the subsequent payment of PAGCOR’s debt to the PSC that was estimated at P37 billion.

The debt accumulation was based on the Supreme Court’s decision being retroactively implemented. Tengco noted that the court granted them a period of 10 years to pay the amount.

The PAGCOR chief said that they were actively communicating with the PSC regarding the debt payment since their average remittances based on the five percent gross income provision was already nearing P300 million per month starting 2026.

“On our end, it is a huge burden because nowhere did PAGCOR project through the years that we will have to pay. But we respect the decision of the Supreme Court, it may not be during my time but we have to abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court,” Tengco said.

Tengco expressed that the changes had driven the contributions of regulatory agencies to nation-building to a higher rate for the first half of 2026 compared to the entirety of 2025.

In the previous year, the total income generated by PAGCOR was P106.03 billion while their contributions were at P66.95 billion.

As for the period between January to June in the current year, the agency had already generated P43.43 billion in income and contributed P30.16 billion to nation-building.

Even with the increased amount, however, Tengco clarified that they have yet to begin paying for the P37 billion debt that it had to the PSC.

In consideration of the newfound information, House Committee on Appropriations chairperson Mikaela Suansing said they would take the debt collection into consideration when deliberating the proposed budget of the sports commission for fiscal year 2027.