PAGCOR chair Alejandro Tengco via PNA

Alejandro “Al” Tengco, chairman and CEO of PAGCOR, sits in one of the most powerful posts in government.

PAGCOR is not an ordinary agency. It regulates gambling, licenses casinos, oversees hundreds of billions, and influences the financial bloodstream of politics.

Whoever controls PAGCOR controls a huge slice of the country’s economic and political power.

That alone should demand delicadeza.
But delicadeza is exactly what’s missing.

A recent Rappler investigation laid out the facts plainly.

Nationstar Development Corporation, a construction company Tengco once owned and then “divested” to his children, has seen a dramatic surge in government contracts since he assumed office.

The numbers are staggering. Rappler reports that from 2016 to 2025, Nationstar received ₱8.6 billion in government projects. ₱7.1 billion of that came after 2022.

These are not small barangay projects.

These are marquee contracts: the Davao Bypass, the Western Visayas State University College of Law, and even rehabilitation works on a Malacañang structure.

High-value,high-visibility, high-stakes infrastructure.

Now, Tengco will say that PAGCOR has nothing to do with DPWH bidding. That the agency he heads has no authority over these projects.

But Tengco misses the point. Whether the contracts fall under PAGCOR or not is irrelevant.

Isn’t that the same excuse used by Zaldy Co and other “cong-tractors," congressmen and contractors at the same time, in the flood control ghost projects?

Their excuse: “We divested. We have no control over the bidding.” Yet they still landed hundreds of billions in DPWH projects. Same, right?

Tengco divested on paper, but influence and benefit remained. Aren’t they all so-called low-hanging fruit, where the conflict of interest is obvious?

If Zaldy Co and others can be accused of conflict of interest, shouldn’t the same standard apply to Tengco?

While some are being charged, one has to ask: will Tengco be next?

The law is clear. Under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019), a public official is prohibited from having direct or indirect financial interest in transactions with the government. Indirect includes immediate family.

“Divesting” on paper but transferring control to your own children does not erase influence. It only changes the name on the share certificate.

Let’s be honest. It’s an open secret in the construction world: big-ticket contracts can be nudged with a signal from people close to the Palace.

No one will admit it publicly.

But contractors know it. Politicians know it. Bureaucrats know it. A small whisper from the right circle can tilt billions.

This is the context in which Nationstar’s contracts skyrocketed.

This is why the public reaction is sharp.

This is why people feel insulted.

Because Tengco is not just a businessman.
He holds one of the juiciest, most privilege-laden government positions.

Yet his family continues to profit from government contracts.

People cannot help but ask why.

The perks of the position? They are not small.

If history is a guide, the chairmanship of PAGCOR comes with massive entitlements.

Look at former chairman Efraim Genuino: according to media reports, in 2010 alone, he received ₱287 million in salaries, allowances, confidential funds, and discretionary funds.

This doesn’t even include the lifestyle of the office, official drivers, security escorts, fuel, high-end vehicles, business-class travel, hotels, dinners, representation, and other comforts charged to the Filipino people.

This is not about proving criminal guilt.

This is about ethical clarity.

This is about the basic respect owed to the public.

The deeper frustration is this: new names keep emerging every week. Same pattern.
Paper divestments, relatives stepping in, sudden contract windfalls, and political proximity to the Palace.

People look at it and say, “Pare-pareho lang.” Every time the government shrugs and gives a technical excuse, the public’s trust corrodes a little more.

As a journalist, whenever we ask ordinary Filipinos about corruption, their answer is almost always the same:
“Maaaring mahirap kami, pero hindi kami tanga.”

‘Yan din ang gusto kong iparating, Mr. Tengco.

Marunong kaming bumasa ng laro.

Alam namin kapag impluwensiya at palakasan ang umiiral.
At higit sa lahat, alam namin kapag iniinsulto na kami.

Nakakabahala lang na ang kapal ng mukha ay nagiging karaniwan na sa mga taong nakapaligid sa kapangyarihan.

Ed Javier

Ed Javier is a veteran communicator with over 35 years of experience in corporate, government, and advocacy communications, spanning the terms of seven Philippine presidents. He is also a political analyst, entrepreneur, and media professional. Drawing on this experience, he delivers clear, accessible analysis of political, governance, and business issues.