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A COMMUNICATION PLAN FOR

PHILIPPINE AMUSEMENT AND GAMING CORPORATION’S CSR

Over-All Thrust
To re-construct the public image of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation
(PAGCOR) as a regulator than promoter of state-run gambling, priming its success not
in revenue terms but in public interest, notably in funding socially-desirable causes.
Specifically, it aims to:

1. To ensure more visibility of PAGCOR’s social involvements and initiatives through an

enhanced massive dissemination of information about its Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR).

2. To create and sustain favorable public perception towards PAGCOR, identifying and
framing its informative and substantive issues that matter most to the intended
beneficiaries.

3. To convince the public that revenues it derives from state-run gambling redound to
the social and economic welfare of the general public it serves, particularly in the rural
communities.

Present Situation
PAGCOR as the second major source of government revenues remitting an average of
P30-B for the national government under the past administration has to come clean of
allegations of corruption that benefited its political principals. Although it has been a
benefactor of many “socio-civic and national development projects,” it has miserably
failed to account its huge income with transparency.

In the past Administration, PAGCOR has entered into controversial projects that raise a
question or issue of its public image as a promoter than regulator of gambling. The
omnipresent availability of other forms of state-run gambling, including the on-going
construction of the BNP-Entertainment City, send a strong signal that PAGCOR is
heavily promoting the Philippines as “the new gambling Mecca.”

While its other CSR projects have been highly commendable, particularly its support to
barangay-based micro-business enterprises, sponsorships of several cultural and
athletic activities, on education and healthcare projects, it has also entered projects
viewed to advance the political interests of the families of its political principals.

Therefore, the Filipino people view a glaring “disconnect” between the enormous
revenues PAGCOR generates from gambling and the desirable outcomes of benefiting
socio-civic and national development efforts. “Charity gambling” has practically lost its
meaning.
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Opportunities
One of the areas of opportunities is the re-constitution of its existing involvement in
“socio-civic and national development efforts” that prime not so much how much
revenues PAGCOR derives from state-run gambling but on how well it run them and to
what end – that is to serve the general welfare of the public. This can be done by
embarking on a “public diplomacy” campaign program intended to highlight the extent
and impact of the benefits it renders to the society.

A cursory look at the PAGCOR advertisements would show how much revenues it has
so far generated and about hard numbers or statistics of beneficiaries, courtesy of the
largely discretionary Presidential Social Fund (PSF) that is free of social scrutiny. An
immediate review of the budget and information/editorial content of all advertisements
and public relations campaign is thus imperative.

More information-driven advertisement about the beneficiaries (human interest and

socio-cultural impact) should therefore be conducted and a public relations program
focusing on values education that promotes not the “culture of gambling” but on the
propensities to work, save and self-invest in education and training.

In keeping with its goal of increasing sales and income, on the other hand, PAGCOR’s
“regulator-than-promoter” role should target its message demographically among higher
income players, such as foreign tourists, to expand its player base. When local people
spend their hard-earned money on gambling, no new wealth is generated.

Strategies and Tactics

To attain the goals of a successful public diplomacy campaign, PAGCOR can consider
informative and substantive messaging strategies:

1. INFORMATIVE – Generate and sustain information about the state’s ultimate

objective of running gambling casinos, that is to fund socio-civic and national
development projects through the revenues generated. This can be achieved by
disseminating information about the extent and impact of the CSR involvements
and initiatives, including numbers and the real-life stories (human interest) of
beneficiaries among individuals and communities.

2. SUBSTANTIVE – Identify and frame issues related to CSR, priming the long-range
social and cultural impact on the beneficiaries (communities and individuals) as it
addresses social problems in consonance to the Philippine’s commitment to the United
Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. This can be attained by ensuring full media
coverage of the CSR involvements and initiatives.

This shall also cover the priming of the most important editorial contents in media
tactics, such as but not limited to comics and AVP, and other new media and other
social networking sites.