A final effort has been made by Roberto Ongpin to save the employees of Philweb Corp., a Philippine company that just recently received the news that they will not be seeing thA final effort has been made by Roberto Ongpin to save the employees of Philweb Corp., a company that just recently received the news that they will not be seeing their licensing renewed. 6,000 workers will be displaced due to the change and Ongpin is now making a last ditch effort to try and create some type of plan for those caught in the crossfire.

Local media is reporting that Andrea Domingo, the Chairperson for Pagcor, wrote a letter on Friday which stated that Ongpin was asking the Pagcor to use his shares at Philweb, P20 billion worth, to establishment drug rehabilitation centers which would be part of a network spanning across the nation.

In the letter, Ongpin stated that he is a firm believer in President Rodrigo Duterte’s efforts against drugs. Ongpin is in agreement with the president that the elimination of drug pushers and drug lords will not be able to succeed unless the effort is complemented with a rehabilitation program specifically for drugs that is effective.
Ongpin continued by stating that while one could agree that gambling is an undesirable activity, there is nothing more precocious than a drug menace which destroys the fabric of youth and society, something the president has chosen to be a first priority. Just last week, Ongpin offered to donate 49% of this stake in Philweb.

In a statement on Thursday, Andrea Domingo, the Chairman of Pagcor, stated that the issue is not the president versus Ongpin or PhilWeb, per say. It is the president’s and his government’s opposition to gaming, both online and “on-site” due to perceived social ills they create on the community as president and his advisers seem to believe that casinos cater to the economically vulnerable side of the population.

 

Ongpin hopes that Pagcor will accept his most recent proposal. Otherwise, 6,000 workers will be displaced due to the change and Ongpin is now making a last ditch effort to try and create some type of plan for those caught in the crossfire.