Malacañang on Tuesday said that it will not allow gambling operator Charlie “Atong” Ang to continue with his illegal gambling operations outside of the permits given to him inside the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority.
“Under the Duterte administration, there are no sacred cows,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.
Abella also said the proper authorities would “make sure that Mr. Ang will comply” with President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 13, prohibiting any action for the assignment, sharing, lease, transfer or selling of online gambling licenses in the country.
Under the EO, all online gambling operators who wish to operate outside the jurisdictions of government authority must apply for separate licenses before they could operate in other parts of the country.
The same EO said that no licensed online gambling operator shall provide direct or indirect betting outside of the territorial jurisdiction where it is physically located.
In a radio interview, Ang admitted that his Meridian Vista Gaming Corp. is operating jai alai and virtual jai alai games outside of the Ceza, but they can do this as long as they can secure permits from the municipal or city mayor wherein they want to put up gaming operations.
“Yes. As long as we have permits from the mayor on which we will operate, we can continue,” he said.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, whom Ang accused of wanting him dead, said however, that the Supreme Court has already decided to reject his petition to allow Meridian to operate outside of Ceza.
“The Supreme Court has decided to deny his motion for reconsideration and the temporary restraining order that he got from his friends who were judges which stressed that Meridian can operate online gaming and gambling operations outside of Ceza,” Aguirre told radio dzMM.
The Justice secretary has launched an investigation to look into Ang’s possible criminal liabilities, including tax evasion and his alleged links to destabilize the Duterte administration, following the recent raids on his gambling dens in Northern Luzon.
Last week, Ang accused Aguirre and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon of plotting to kill him through the National Bureau of Investigation to eliminate the gambling operations of his Meridian Vista Gaming Corp. to be able to expand government’s small-town lottery.
Aguirre denied the allegation, calling it a “demolition job” in conspiracy with those out to stabilize the Duterte administration.
He said Ang was retaliating for the government raid on the Fontana Leisure Park that busted a billion-peso illegal online gambling operation conducted by Ang’s friend, Jack Lam.
The NBI also denied Ang’s allegations.
NBI Director Dante Gierran said the alleged threat against Ang was baseless and without merit and is just a product of Ang’s imagination.