PAGCOR Chairman Alejandro Tengco said the regulator expects a decision soon on its proposal to separate its regulatory and commercial functions. The Governance Commission for Government-Owned or -Controlled Corporations (GCG) is currently reviewing the plan.
Tengco announced this during his keynote speech at the IAG Academy Summit 2026 at Newport World Resorts Manila, where he discussed the proposed restructuring of the state gaming agency.
After the GCG finishes its review, it will forward the proposal to the Office of the President for consideration. If the President approves it, an executive order will be issued to implement the separation, Tengco said.
PAGCOR has begun preparing for the overhaul, including a potential shift toward focusing primarily on its regulatory functions. Currently, the regulator faces a potential conflict by regulating an industry in which it also operates.
However, the regulator is planning to privatize its Casino Filipino operations. The Philippine law firm Geronimo Law published a study in July noting that this could reduce annual funding for the Philippines' Universal Health Care (UHC) program by between PHP1.7bn ($27.5m) and PHP2.1bn.
The report argues that while separating PAGCOR's commercial and regulatory responsibilities would resolve governance concerns and reduce operating costs, it would also remove a significant source of funding for public health programs.
Under Republic Act 11223, half of PAGCOR's remittances to the National Treasury are allocated to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation to support the country's universal health care system.
According to the study, Casino Filipino contributed PHP3.02bn in 2024 and PHP2.47bn in 2025 to the program.
Earlier, Tengco confirmed that the moratorium on new online gaming licenses will remain in place, citing the need for industry consolidation
