CHAIRMAN AND CEO
PAGCOR
POWER SCORE: 568
POSITION LAST YEAR: NIL
CLAIMS TO FAME
- Former Vice Mayor of Malolos, Bulacan
- Long-time friend of new Philippines President Marcos
ALEJANDRO TENGCO is the successor to Andrea Domingo as head of gaming regulator PAGCOR and one of the most crucial executive appointments in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s first waves of personnel changes.
That Tengco is an old associate and friend of the President is hardly surprising. What might surprise some is that Marcos has tapped a relatively obscure businessman to guide PAGCOR through a difficult period of change and even siege.
Tengco’s first months in the job have been modestly assured as he navigates a suspension of online cockfighting wagering, ongoing pressure from the pandemic and the Chinese government over online gambling, pressure on PAGCOR to divest commercial operations, and a bizarre turf war at Okada Manila.
That turf war saw physical control of the property wrested from its owners by Kazuo Okada’s supporters and then wrested back again with Tengco’s blessing.
In this last incident, the building contracting business owner and former vice mayor of Malolo City offered a glimpse of leadership that may confound cynics weary of the nation’s relentless political-corporate nexus. Tengco’s decision to back Okada Manila’s status quo and kick out Okada’s team was at the expense of Okada ally and hospitality tycoon Antonio “Tonyboy” Cojuangco, whom Tengco worked for in earlier times.
As per Power 50 judging rules, Tengco’s ranking is based only on PAGCOR’s casino operations in the Philippines, and not its regulatory role.
For the full list of 2022 Asian Gaming Power 50 winners, click here.
