Tue | May 22, 2018 | 3:40 PM

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Atty. Dante Gierran (front row, 3rd from left) receives the P5 million check worth of financial grant from PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (front row, 3rd from right) during the turnover ceremony on May 21, 2018 at the PAGCOR Corporate Executive Office in Malate, Manila. The grant will be utilized for the procurement of various equipmentto combat illegal online gaming activities and improve the agency’s cyber response, cybercrime investigation and cyber security. Also in photo are (front row, from left) PAGCOR Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Jimmy Bondoc,Director Reynaldo Concordia, President and COO Alfredo Lim,DirectorCarmen Pedrosa, (back row, from left) NBI Cybercrime Division Chief Manuel Antonio Eduarte, Internal Affairs Division Deputy Director Eric Distor and Intelligence ServiceDeputy Director Vicente De Guzman.

National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Atty. Dante Gierran (2nd from left) is welcomed by PAGCOR executives headed by Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (rightmost) during the turnover ceremony of financial grant to the bureau. Also in photo are (from left) PAGCOR Director Reynaldo Concordia and President and COO Alfredo Lim.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) received P5million financial assistance from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) as part of the two agencies’ collaborative efforts to combat illegal online gambling.

The grant will be utilized for the procurement of various equipment including laptops; video camcorders; laser multifunction scanner/printer/copier; multimedia LED projectors; LED TV; two-terabyte portable external drives; collection suite for file collection and relocation management; DVR examiner; anddata extraction, transfer and analysis device. Said equipment will be used to combat illegal online gaming activities and improve cyber response, cybercrime investigation and cyber security.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo expressed optimism on the strengthened collaboration among agencies to curb illegal online gambling. “We will extend all possible assistance that we can provide within our capacity because you are helping us in our fight against unlawful gaming operations,” the PAGCOR chief said.

The PAGCOR chief added that the collaboration of different government agencies intensifies monitoring acitvities, hence help fight illegal gambling. “We lose millions from unlawful gambling. Through the help of government institutions such as the NBI, we prevent this from happening and we are able to generate more funds from our regulated gaming operations.

Meanwhile, NBI Director Atty. Dante Gierran expressed gratitude for the aid given to them by PAGCOR. "We are very thankful to Chairman Andrea Domingo and COO Alfred Lim for their full support in this humble endeavor. We have discussed the details on how the money will be spent for government operations. We will abide by the instructions given to us. Rest assured that the support accorded by PAGCOR will inspire the NBI even more to fulfill our mandate and help this government attain a drug-free environment,” the NBI chief said.

NBI and PAGCOR’s partnership in the fight against illegal gambling was further strengthened when President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Executive Order (EO) No. 13 on February 2, 2017.  The EO aims to “strengthen the fight against illegal gambling and clarify the jurisdiction and authority of concerned agencies in the regulation and licensing of gambling and online gaming facilities.”

In 2017, the gaming corporation also allocated P5 million to the PNP’s Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) for the purchase of computers and other equipment that will detect internet-based crimes and illegal online gambling.

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