黑料社

MANILA, Philippines鈥擜s the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) marked its 40th anniversary, its new logo, which was said to be a reflection of the corporation鈥檚 commitment to be a 鈥済uiding force,鈥� was unveiled.

But like previous government logos that Filipinos took a swipe at, like the one released for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2019, Pagcor鈥檚 new logo, which was worth P3 million, immediately drew criticism.

READ: Pagcor鈥檚 newly unveiled logo met with jeers

According to lawyer Gideon Pe帽a on Twitter on Tuesday (July 11), the day the new logo was unveiled, the corporation 鈥渃ould have opted to conduct a logo-making contest.鈥�

鈥淲ith the creativity of Filipinos, a much better logo could have surfaced, especially if the winning design would be awarded millions of pesos,鈥� he said, also posting a screenshot of what he said was the Notice of Award (NOA) given to the new Pagcor logo designer.

Based on the publicly available document dated June 27, 2023, which is a written notice of the acceptance of the bid by Printplus Graphic Services, the contract price was P3,035,714.28.

According to Pagcor chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco, the new logo 鈥渋ncorporates the element of fire associated with energy, inspiration, passion and transformation.鈥� He said 鈥渋t symbolizes the flame that ignites change and drives progress.鈥�

Tengco pointed out that it also 鈥渞eflects a beacon, which symbolizes guidance, leadership, and direction,鈥� saying that 鈥渋t represents a guiding light that helps people find their way.鈥�

鈥淎ll these taken together,鈥� he said the new logo reflects 鈥渢he long standing commitment of being a guiding force that illuminates the way forward, drives transformation and development, and brings inspiration and motivation to the lives it touches.鈥�

According to its charter, Pagcor, which is a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) that was created through Presidential Decree 1067-A, has a three-pronged mandate:

• Regulate, operate, authorize and license games of chance, games of cards and games of numbers, specifically casino gaming
• Generate revenues for the government鈥檚 socio-civic and national development programs
• Help promote the tourism industry

Controversial logos

Pagcor鈥檚 was not the first logo, though, that had been ridiculed and criticized. A look at controversial logos paid for by the government and GOCCs would take us to as early as 2010.

• Pilipinas Kay Ganda

Back in 2010, ANC reported how the then new tourism brand of the Philippines, 鈥淧ilipinas Kay Ganda,鈥� drew criticism for striking a similarity to Poland鈥檚 own tourism campaign, 鈥淧olska.鈥�

The campaign was later ordered scrapped by then President Benigno Aquino III, with the then head of the Department of Tourism, Alberto Lim, saying that 鈥渨e wanted to give them results right away,鈥� a 2010 report by ABS-CBN stated.

• 2019 SEA Games

The official logo of the 30th SEA Games, which was held in the Philippines in 2019, was met with widespread criticism, too, with some pointing out its resemblance to common objects, and even cartoon characters.

READ:

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who was then the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs, had said the logo鈥檚 11 circles represent the 11 nations bound together in the shape of the Philippine archipelago to symbolize that 鈥渨e are one and we win as one.鈥�

• BSP logo

Back in 2020, Benjamin Diokno, then governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), unveiled the institution鈥檚 new logo, which highlighted a bright and full-bodied gold eagle. This, however, drew criticism, too.

Diokno explained that BSP鈥檚 鈥渧isual representation in the form of the logo requires an update to infuse the institution with renewed vitality, underscore its integrity and competence, and further promote the understanding of its mandates.鈥�

• OPACC

Last Jan. 1, film director Paul Soriano, who was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as presidential adviser on creative communications, released the logo of his office.

Filipinos, however, immediately took a swipe at it, with some saying that its design, especially the placement of words 鈥淥ffice of the Presidential Adviser on Creative Communications鈥� was confusing.

Problem鈥檚 tip

Raymond Palatino, secretary general of Bayan, said the design of the new Pagcor logo and the amount spent for it were not the only problem, stressing that 鈥渃ost is not limited to procuring new logo design.鈥�

He told 黑料社 via FB Messenger that 鈥渢he agency will spend more in using it in official letterheads, receipts, chips in casinos, offices, billboards, cars, banners, and other ad placements.鈥�

According to Pagcor鈥檚 website, the corporation operates nine casino branches in major cities all over the Philippines. Collectively referred to as Casino Filipino, these branches are strategically located in popular tourist destinations.

Pagcor operates 32 satellite casinos in major cities, too.

As stressed by Palatino, the new logo is 鈥渦nnecessary spending amid continuing economic hardships,鈥� pointing out the poverty confronted by millions of Filipinos every day.

According to data from Pulse Asia, which conducted a study from June 19 to 23, rising prices of basic commodities remains the most urgent national concern, with six in 10, or 63 percent, of Filipinos saying it is an issue that should be addressed.

The government鈥檚 approval rating on controlling inflation improved by 6 percentage points, from 25 percent in March to 31 percent in June, but its performance on addressing the issue still received a negative net approval rating of -6.

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