Ongpin’s daughter quits Philweb too

TAKING cue from her father, the daughter of businessman Roberto V. Ongpin likewise quit as vice chair of gaming firm Philweb Corp. after President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of war against “oligarchs.”

Ongpin was earlier pinpointed by Mr. Duterte as an example of an “oligarch” he would bring down during his term. He stepped down as Philweb chair on Thursday.

In a letter dated Aug. 4 posted on the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday, Philweb vice chair and director Anna Bettina Ongpin submitted her resignation to the Philweb board. The resignation took effect immediately.

Anna Bettina, who was schooled in the UK and the US, had lived for many years in the US as a management consultant for a number of firms. She moved back to the Philippines to help her dad run his businesses in 2013.

Philweb operates e-Games stations or internet cafes exclusively dedicated to casino games including baccarat, blackjack, various slot machine games, video poker and others. Most e-Games cafes operate on a 24/7 basis.  Its key subsidiaries include BigGame Inc., Premyo sa Resibo Inc., e-Magine Gaming Corp., PhilWeb Convergence Corp. and PhilWeb Asia-Pacific Corp.

The company’s license from the state-controlled Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to operate e-games is seen at risk given Mr. Duterte’s strong stance against e-gaming.

Philweb’s intellectual property license agreement (IPLMA) with Pagcor is expiring on Aug. 10. This had been extended from the original expiration date of July 11./rga