In a long-awaited move, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) will finally align its employees’ salaries with those of other Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs). This shift comes after the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) committed to issuing an Authority to Implement (ATI) for PAGCOR’s new Compensation and Position Classification System (CPCS).
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco announced that the GCG made this commitment during a meeting with PAGCOR’s Compliance Department and Human Resources and Development Group on December 1, 2023.
GCG Commissioner Atty. Geraldine Berberabe-Martinez confirmed the plan in a recent media interview, stating that the Commission aims to issue the ATI by January 31, 2024.
The GCG, which regulates and supervises GOCCs, issued Memorandum Circular No. 2015-04 in 2015. This directive required GOCCs to reorganize and rationalize personnel before receiving approval for any restructuring or salary increases. President Benigno Aquino III later institutionalized the CPCS for all GOCCs, including PAGCOR, through Executive Order No. 203.
In July 2017, however, the Duterte administration suspended the CPCS via Executive Order No. 36. This order allowed GOCCs to choose between a revised salary structure or retain their existing compensation setup. PAGCOR chose to keep its original pay structure.
Later, President Duterte reinstated the CPCS through Executive Order No. 150, which also reintroduced the Index of Occupational Services, Position Titles, and Job Grades for GOCCs effective October 5, 2021. PAGCOR submitted all required documents in November 2021 to secure CPCS approval.
In June 2022, during the Duterte administration’s final month, the GCG conducted an onsite validation at PAGCOR and found unauthorized departments, including the E-Sabong Licensing Department. These findings delayed CPCS approval further.
When Mr. Tengco took over PAGCOR’s leadership in August 2022, he immediately asked about the CPCS status and discovered it remained under evaluation. He then instructed PAGCOR Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer Atty. Leoncio Joel Barrameda III to work closely with the GCG and speed up the approval. PAGCOR and GCG began formal discussions in December 2022. After a year of back-and-forth, the GCG informed PAGCOR on December 1, 2023, that it intends to issue the ATI on or before January 31, 2024.
As the country’s gaming regulator, PAGCOR upholds transparency and accountability. When the public trusts the regulatory body, that confidence naturally extends to PAGCOR-licensed operators.
