The first ever G2E Asia @ The Phillipines has officially kicked off, and it began with a keynote speech from Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) chief Andrea Domingo. She gave the attendees a warm welcome while emphasizing the regulators emphasis on applying the law.

With a super typhoon bearing down on Manila, Domingo first noted that she believed it was a good omen. “When it rains when you’re campaigning, they say its good luck,” she noted. “Going through with that logic, we have a super typhoon on the opening of the first G2E here in Manila, so I think you’ll have a super success in this convention.”

She then got into the heart of her speech, emphasizing her mission to apply the laws of the Philippines. “The Philippines is a democratic republic with a very rigid and strong legal system and a very strong permanent body of laws that all of us must follow,” she noted. She then relayed what her boss has given as her one guiding rule. “This is the first mandate that President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte told me when I first assumed the office. Just follow the law. You do not disregard the rule of law. And that is what we’ve been doing to the best of our capabilities given some political realities, but we never ever do something that is blatantly illegal.”

From there, she stressed that the Philippines is looking to achieve the highest rating it can under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA). She also noted that while other countries have had turbulent gambling industries due to their allowance of grey markets, the Philippines will respect the laws of all countries, and strictly enforce their own.