Promo mechanics:

1) What is the PTS Membership Update, Merge And Win Promo?

This promo is our way of getting to know you better, so we can serve you better. Get the chance to win exciting prizes while giving us the opportunity to plan for more fun and exciting programs for you.

2) Who are eligible to join the promo?

All current PAGCOR Privilege Card (PTS card) holders may join.

3) How does it work?

To play, you must accomplish either or both the following:

a) Update or complete your personal information.
b) Surrender your multiple cards (if you have more than one) so we can merge your information into just one card. You only need one card to be recognized in any PAGCOR casino.

4) When is the promo period?

The promo period starts march 12, 2010, and ends on the day of the raffle. This will be announced later, so keep in touch!

5) How do I join?

a) To complete or update your personal information:

- Visit our branch Customer Relations Section (CRS), Concierge or PTS membership center to have your personal information updated or completed.
- Present valid identification (passport or any government issued ID with photo such as Driver’s License, SSS, Voter’s ID, Postal ID, PRC issued licenses, etc).
- We will check your PAGCOR Privilege Card profile against the valid id you presented and encode updates on your personal information.
- To qualify as an update, the following information in your PAGCOR Privilege Card profile must be updated or completed:

Full name (first, middle and last name)
Birthday
Contact info Cellphone Number Phone Number e-mail address
City of residence Photo

b) To merge your multiple cards

- Visit the branch CRS/Concierge/PTS Membership Center or approach any of our Operations Personnel.
- Present your multiple cards for merging together with valid identification (passport or any government issued id with photo such as Driver’s License, SSS, Voter’s ID, Postal ID, PRC issued licenses, etc).
- If necessary, the following information in your PAGCOR Privilege Card profile must be updated or completed:

Full name (first, middle and last name)
Birthday
Contact info Cellphone Number Phone Number e-mail address
City of residence Photo

- You will be asked to choose the PTS card you want to retain. All other cards shall be surrendered to us.
- Our personnel will process merging of your multiple cards.

6) How will you know that you have an entry in the raffle contest?

a) The promo will use an electronic raffle in the drawing of winners.
b) After completing the update and / or card merging, an electronic raffle number shall be assigned to you.
c) We will send an automated notification via SMS on the mobile number you registered and / or an email in your mailbox.
d) In case you don’t receive our notification, let us know immediately.

7) If I both update and merge, will I get two raffle entries?

You will be assigned two (2) raffle entries.

What prizes are at stake?

First prize – P200,000 worth of non-cashable chips plus jacket
Second prize – P100,000 worth of non-cashable chips plus jacket
Third prize – P50,000 worth of non-cashable chips plus jacket
Consolation prize – ten (10) winners of 5,000 each

9) Redemption of prizes

Raffle prizes shall be redeemed at the metro manila branch where your raffle number was assigned.

To claim your prize, present a valid id with photo together with your PAGCOR privilege card.

Prizes unclaimed beyond sixty (60) days after the draw date shall be forfeited.

It’s the Oscar’s (Academy Awards) today and odds on favorites Avatar and The Hurt Locker are in for a long and eventful night…  but before you cash out on Jim Cameron’s opus, could you name  two Academy award winners that are turned into a slot machine?

Answers:

scots slots

cashbox of chocolates

And now back to regular programming… 

Every generation would like to leave an indelible imprint on the present.   That mark is arguably influenced by pop culture.  The decade past, with our advancement in technology used for entertainment, particularly cinema, has swept us with an onslaught of Super hero movies.
 The decade of super heroes…

In 2005, amidst Marvel morphing into this entertainment juggernaut with a do-no-wrong slew of blockbuster hits since Spiderman in 2000, it expanded unlike no other company.  Marvel exploded every which way and yet it almost silently moved into on-line gaming.  With partnership with Cryptologic, an on-line gaming software developer came up with a line of Marvel character-based slot machines.  Out of roughly 4000 cast of superheroes, the usual favourites came out with this different kind of “Reel”.

Spiderman, Hulk, Fantastic 4, Iron Man, X-Men, Captain America, Thor, Daredevil and Blade were the forerunners of the new age in slot machine gaming.  The usual debate ensued between what the characters stand for versus who and how mature the audience it is catering to.  With its continued successes and recent moves, it greenlighted other on-line gaming developers to work with Marvel and to have a share of the lucrative pie. 
The debate came alive again, briefly, last year when Disney bought Marvel and all the rights to its stable of characters.  Disney after all is known for its wholesome family image.  Marvel’s new parent company opted leave Marvel free since a big percentage of the comics giant business comes from their hard-edged PG content.  Business sense prevailed in the end.

In parallel, we saw development of slot machine creatively coming up with slot versions of popular gaming brand like Bejeweled and Sudoku.  Again speaking about a time when entertainment expands for the young and the young at heart and a generation of torchbearers willing to explore them all.

“The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals.”

BSC authors Robert Kaplan (Harvard Business School) and David Norton recognized previous performance measurement reporting along with traditional financial metrics and added the non-financial performance measures on the framework.  That way, the company is able to map out strategies that suit its needs coming from different perspectives within the organization. This then creates a synergy since one perspective affects and feeds off the other all along while keeping in focus the vision and strategy. With this knowledge GM Cordero wishes to implement the system that would define how the wheel called PAGCOR turns.  This way, the company would be able to specifically evaluate causes and effects as it is experienced.  It is indeed quite tricky to determine what makes Casino as a business work.  This system should fit in answering the direction “where is the company going?” and “What should be done?” to achieve it.

Armed with nearly 50 slides extracted from five resource books authored by Kaplan and Norton, GM Cordero tackled strategies and perspectives, among many, to clearly define how the system can be put in place and work with the current tools of measurement (PTS, total bets, winnings, etc) that is used for determining success.

GM Cordero also puts weight on customer value proposition which is the heart and center of our business.  He stressed that we must always have a never-ending strategy in this regard as the playing field continues to change.  Highlighted on this is “Customer Intimacy” and “Empower the front line employees”.   The company must always have a competitive advantage. It’s an advantage that’s already in action for a company that prides itself for having a “global vision” and a “Filipino heart”.

Bottom line, it’s all about winning.  A successful company, for it to be called truly successful must be able to measure success and have the same result every given time.

It’s a scorching March here at PAGCOR. Hit on the events page at pagcor.ph and bounce  to the sampled beats off A.N.D.R.E.W.F.O.R.D. a cut from Andrew E.’s Latest album “Clubzilla”.  We met local rap’s “Prometheus“  at PAGCOR-Mimosa last week and found that bomb of a track apropos to what PAGCOR has in store for this month.

Temperature will definitely rise up with Maui Taylor at PAGCOR-Tagaytay.  Expect her to be a bonfire amidst the chilly night air of the city on the ridge.  And if you have a marshmallow for a heart, then it’s perfect!

Chill out to the music of class acts and PAGCOR entertainment favourites.  Anthony Castelo is at the very accessible PAGCOR-Heritage every Mondays of March starting March 1.  Karen Carpenter of the Philippines Claire dela Fuente is at the Alegria lounge every Tuesday beginning March 2.  Jun Polistico takes his “golden voice” to PAGCOR-Hyatt every given Thursday.  Fridays, starting on the 5^th of March, we’ll have the suave Carmen Soriano as she takes it to the hilt of Altitude 64 at PAGCOR-Paranaque.  She’ll also belt it out with Lloyd Samartino at PAGCOR-Mimosa’s Viva Las Vegas on March 16.  Juris continues to make your momma proud playing at the stage of Heritage Boutique Casino for 3 Wednesdays; 10^th, 17^th and 31^st.

If you’re looking for fun and funny; laughter dynamites Wally and Jose (Tagaytay/Mar. 6), morph Willie Nep (Angeles/Mar.6), crazy/sexy K Brosas(Tagaytay/Mar.9), and YouTube sensation Moymoy Palaboy (Davao/Mar 30) will spread out the joy and laughter all March long.  To learn more about who’s playing where in the PAGCOR Entertainment world, don’t hesitate to contact these  telephone numbers: 854-8752 / 851-7690.

 Heat will truly be felt when PAGCOR Chairman Efraim C. Genuino International Poker Tournament blasts off at PAGCOR-Pavilion on March 20 for 5 days of poker action hitting crescendo at the finals on Asia’s Gem at the SMX Convention Center on the 25th. The 1 million US$ guaranteed tournament is a sure firebrand with satellite tournaments on-line and in poker rooms all over the country currently underway.   You can directly join in by going to pagcor.ph’s entertainment homepage here. 

This March, sunblock or tanning lotion aren’t necessary to have fun!

PAGCOR Mimosa presents "Clubzilla"

 The marquee at the Mimosa resembled a classic broadway theatre, one can come in and choose to either go up and play on the boutique-type casino or go down and find the bar with a stage, resembling little clubs that started in Europe and the U.S.  The division of floors enables PAGCOR-Mimosa to hold a show that can accommodate all-ages.  Looking at their show history in pictures, PAGCOR entertainment is a diverse mix of shows and PAGCOR Mimosa can boast legit diversity  just for booking Boy2 and Vandolph Quizon(they’re a real reggae/Jamaican music provocateurs, Boy2 had an album out a few years back, and is a permanent fixture on the scene even before Brownman Revival hit mainstream success a few years back).  With that said, let  it be added that nothing transcends age and diversity better than an Andrew E. show (raise eyebrow here).   

 Andrew E. came in with an Oolong tea bottle on-hand, talked to us about his 10 week long stint at this reality talent search and how he feels a certain affinity to the contestants.  “That was me 20 years ago” he intimated.  That’s why he made it a point to always highlight that silver lining in every group’s performance as he laid judgement on them.  “Always leave them something to build their dream on” was his message.  He wrote his setlist on paper and was told that the front act is on their last song.  He puts his “Clubzilla” jersey and his game face on.  And it’s, well, “Showtime”!

the kids are alright

He came in with sidekick Jawtee mouthing off their welcome to a Dr. Dre sample. He also mashed up Flo Rida’s “Low” with words of “Andrew Ford Medina”.  With his in between banter and with how he manages to keep the crowd up, Andrew Ford is quite possibly the greatest “stickman” in show business.  The crowd with an age range of 10-65 were raising their hands in unison most of the time and  getting all noisy as Andrew dangles a DonGalo Wreckords hand logo cap.  His set covered his earliest hits, mostly the “scandalous” ones.  He also played songs from the latest album “Clubzilla” that is true to form monster club music.  Maybe the genius lies in openly making fun of things we usually make fun of in whispers and muted giggles.  Add in good melodies and lots of humor and there you go.   

After the show, like most PAGCOR shows, Andrew took some time for some meet and greet and the patrons were able to buy and have their CDs signed.  Jed Madela once tweeted thru Pagcor.ph that he wished he brought more CDs to his Heritage show a few months back.   Andrew sold all the CDs of his new album “Clubzilla” in minutes.      

PAGCOR-Mimosa bounced to Andrew E.’s music that night, as PAGCOR Mimosa usually does every Tuesday night with the acts that they bring onstage.  The musical taste of Pampanga, Olongapo are as diverse and as open as the tastes of those in Cebu and Davao.  PAGCOR is right in the middle of those cities but we can expect more of these kinds of show not just there but in all 13 branches.

Season 2 WOW Car Raffle Promo - Major Prize

A Brazilian-inspired group of five alluring dancers and a band of musicians called “Juarana” brought to PAGCOR Pavilion Podium a Brazilian Carnival with their upbeat music, gracefully perfected dance steps and colourful costumes. Their numbers seemed to shout “Let’s celebrate the good life!” as PAGCOR Pavilion is about to give away a brand new hot red Honda Jazz and consolation prizes on that Sunday, February 21.  The players whose lucky raffle coupons will be picked among the thousands will be given these prizes.

The prizes for the 2^nd Quarterly Draw of Winner on Wheels (WOW) included Non Cashable Chips worth P25, 000, P50, 000, P75, 000 and P100, 000 and of course the much fancied hot red Honda Jazz wrapped in gold ribbons. The red car displayed at the front lobby along with many other cars for give-aways of PAGCOR Pavilion looked so tempting. The unique interior architecture that this mini car has attracts men and women alike of all ages.

Expected to flock the Podium of PAGCOR Pavilion were patrons and new guests who eagerly wished to hear their names called by the host of the raffle draw. Present during the draw were the winners of the prizes, save for the winner of the new car that night who received the news through a phone call. Everyone, even the non winners walked away in high spirits because Juarana’s version of Lambada and Chiquita brought a lively atmosphere to PAGCOR Pavilion.  The perky version of La bamba was enticing that a Pavilion guest joined them on stage. The night was packed with excitement.

This innumerable grand gifts that await the winners in their year-long events, is PAGCOR Pavilion’s way of thanking their patrons who stayed loyal for years.

PAGCOR Pavilion will also be giving away ten (10) seat certificates for the First PAGCOR Chairman Efraim C. Genuino International Poker Tournament. The winners of the certificates will be drawn on March 7, 2010 so keep dropping your entries for more chances. For inquiries on the mechanics and the upcoming raffle draws, please contact the Branch Marketing Section at 524-1973.

Valentine's month with Mr. Golden Voice

A month before  Jun Polistico performs in Pagcor Parañaque, I was aware of  both men and women in their 40’s to 60’s raving about his concert which will happen during the Love month. I personally couldn’t hide my puzzlement of who Jun Polistico is.  I remember even meeting a patron in his 40’s telling me how Pagcor Parañaque has reinvented the branch and made it into a place for world class entertainment. “In fact Jun Polistico will be here Fridays of February.”, the PAGCOR patron added. The last thing I would do was ask him who “the guy” is because he was beaming with pride.  Everyone seemed to be expressing their excitement every time Jun Polistico’s name is mentioned.  I had to assume that everyone knows the guy so as not to expose my ignorance, I’d  give them a smile and nod in agreement.

On February 19, I finally got the chance to watch the famous balladeer in his midst.  In Altitude 64 at PAGCOR Parañaque, Jun Polistico came up stage at 10pm. I couldn’t hide my surprise when standing up front, wearing a cheerful smile was a non-Filipino-looking- man in his sixties! Well his skin colour was a rich tan and his hair was dyed black but there was something foreign about his look. It must have been his stance or the way he greeted the audience.

The balladeer creating a romantic ambiance in Altitude 64.

I had to stop wondering why people really raved about his concerts or why on that night they sat mesmerized at his performance.  Just like wine that becomes perfect with age, his voice seemed to cast magic on everyone and I couldn’t believe it! Next to me was a nineteen year old girl who sang with Jun as he serenaded us with his ballads. It was magic how he weaved the music of Matt Monroe, Neil Diamond, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra together and brought the audience to sing with him. He seemed to have real fun as he sang the beautiful melodies of the past. His performances of hit songs under his belt like “Feelings”, “The Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me” and “Sana’y Wala Nang Wakas” were electrifying. His renditions of the perennial favourite ballads created a romantic environment in the intimate setting of Altitude 64 that the arrival of PAGCOR Chairman Efrain C. Genuino went unnoticed. If not for the crooner himself thanking the key people of PAGCOR, the audience wouldn’t have realized they were seated next to the CEO and his entourage. Mr. Genuino seemed immersed in the songs himself.

Women of different age groups and men too were cueing after the concert to get his autograph and a photo with him. Talk about immortal favourites! I learned that night that Mr. Jun Polistico, born and raised in Baybay, Leyte started singing at the age of seventeen (17). In 1976, the famous crooner joined the Hawaiian group Society of Seven and fans enjoyed his performances five (5) times a week at the Fitzgerald Casino Hotel in Las Vegas. He lived in Vegas for almost seven years until he finally decided to come back home to the Philippines. “I love to sing for my kababayans.” he told me and he was still full of energy after midnight.  At present he goes to Las Vegas for special shows and performs in Manila by invitation. Just recently he was invited to join Asia’s Nightingale, Lani Misalucha to do shows again in Las Vegas. His wife, a charming Filipina said, “Mr. Polistico now prefers an easy lifestyle so he declined.”.  To end the night, Mr. Polistico signed a copy of his album and asked me to give it to my mother which I mentioned is probably of his age. I couldn’t believe I started with no idea of who the famous balladeer was and ended with a comfortable chat with him! Talk about the best things in life for free!

For those who missed to see Jun Polistico in PAGCOR Parañaque, don’t despair as he has another show on  the 26^th of February in the intimate setting of Altitude 64.

Friday night and the area (Area 1) near the stage is electric.  Colors awash in substitute of the usually somber tones of the gold on blue vest uniform of the dealer.  On this night, the participating dealers are on old-school hip-hop gear.  The party started with dealers bumping and krumping to the latest street jazz derivative.  The svelte vocalist of Guarana, a samba band playing onstage decided to mix it up with the dealers/dancers and a fusion in gyration ensued.  Crowd started to gather to see this improv, (the proper term, I think, is “freestyling”) witnessing an evolution in dealing as gaming tilts toward its entertainment genome prominently.  Some onlookers were so moved they started swinging.

If you want to brush up on the history of how Party Pit started, read on a previous blog here (http://www.blog.pagcor.ph/party-pit-pagcor-hyatt.html).

What’s really admirable about the Party Pit ver.2 is how the concept is embraced by the dealers.  They come up with dance numbers, they shell out to fund their colourful costume/ensemble (Not for long, expect GM Alexander Betita to come up with the solution to that), and bring their A1 attitude as always.  The dealers ran away with the idea and made it their own.  Says a lot about how great ideas never go to waste.   The previous week, in-line with the Chinese New year’s celebration, another group was wearing the traditional Chinese garb and a week prior another group was clad in high boots and short shorts a-la Jessica Simpson from the Dukes of Hazard flick.  An infinity of ideas as the people start to catch in on the fun and appreciate the efforts of the dealers along with the battery of operations and marketing department.

VIP dealer for VIP night

On the same night, Diana Meneses was a celebrity dealer and overall entertainer at Hyatt’s Le’ Salon for PAGCOR-Hyatt’s “classic Hollywood” themed VIP night spiced hotter by a group of pole dancers. A chorus of slot machines chimed in for the slot machine tournament on the 3^rd floor. A flurry of events, but the biggest draw is on the main gaming floor where everybody “got served” last Friday and every Friday hereon.

"Let's go to the Prom!" David tells the crowd.

The PAGCOR sponsored Steve O’Neil production of Timeless Love, extended Valentine’s indefinitely as JFC showcased his timeless classics beloved by Filipinos. The packed ballroom dinner show was filled mostly of patrons from PAGCOR-Heritage. JFC had Ciara Sotto warm up the crowd as opener and David Pomeranz as guest. JFC and David Pomeranz, who are both adopted sons of the Philippines, swooned the crowd with their hits. The dinner show provided a perfect intimate setting for both performers, David described it jokingly as “This is like a wedding!”. More so, David took the audience “to the prom” with Pinoy Junior/Senior ball staples “Got To Believe In Magic” and “King And Queen Of Hearts”(You sang the song in your head as you read the song titles, didn’t you?).

JFC looked very much at home on stage sharing “war stories” from long years of touring, peppered with anecdotes and Tagalog words he learned along the way. He is a storyteller and most of his songs are narratives of situations in love from a specific and honest perspective, he eloquently takes you there. That’s why “Sad to Belong” sheds light on feelings as much as “Nights are Forever Without You”, love is both as complex and as simple. He churned out everyone’s favorite from the England Dan and John Ford Coley catalogue and even covered songs by David Gates(Bread) and The Hollies.

It was another wonderful evening for the forever love struck Pinoys, and if there’s one thing we could share back to JFC as a form of thanks, we’d like to tell him that one of the best “turon” in the country can be found at PAGCOR-Airport in Paranaque, Mr. O’Neil can take you there.

The “Lunar New Year” was greeted by the management of Pagcor Pavilion with the traditional Dragon and Lion Dance in most areas of Manila Pavilion hotel as well as its clubs in Ronquillo and Mabini. The head of the Marketing Department, SMO Melvyn F. Tablang entrusted the proceedings of the celebration to Pagcor’s Feng shui consultant (whose name he chose to remain unpublished) for years already. The Chinese master is believed to have played a big part in bringing luck and happiness as well as good entertainment to patrons of PAGCOR.

The Traditional Lion Dance

Pagcor Pavilion started the celebration of the coming Year of the Tiger with the Dragon and Lion dances at the Pagcor Club Ronquillo at 9:30pm. The dance team mimicked the movements of the dragon to signify the roles of the symbolic animal emanating power and dignity. Not difficult to decipher was the lion with the costume worn by two people that mirrored movements of the lion as it is believed to be the king and guardian creature. These dances being part of the Chinese culture and the highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations has always been a yearly tradition of Pagcor Pavilion.

The Dragon Dance

At 10:30pm, the dance group  moved to Pagcor Club Mabini to do their enthralling performances. A few minutes before the clock struck the hour of midnight, a colourful pyrotechnic display was experienced at the lobby and entrance of PAGCOR at the Manila Pavilion Hotel. As the dance team finished their movements that are believed to bring positive energy “chi” to every corner of the gaming areas as well as the offices, the team gave away red packets decorated with gold prints (Ang Pao in Hokkien or Lai See in Cantonese) and Nian Gao or commonly known as tikoy. The patrons wished for the chance to be chosen by the dragon and lion to receive the monetary gifts. The believers of Chinese traditions followed the lively beat of the drums accompanying the dance team that gave life to the ceremony. They were eager to touch the colourful lions and the big dragon too.

Noticeable that night were couples who found their way to Pagcor Pavilion for the celebration since Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day fell on the same date.