Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation(PAGCOR)

Hi! I would like to request a copy of an unnumbered DOJ Legal Opinion dated 28 January 2021 regarding e-sabong.  I already requested the same legal opinion from the DOJ but their Records Management Section said that since the legal opinion is unnumbered, it was already beyond the purview of their department. 

I am sincerely hoping that you could provide us with a copy of this legal opinion since it is significant to the research one of our lawyers is conducting. I requested the said legal opinion last 10 December 2024 and the DOJ has just replied now. I know it will take another 14 days for this to be answered, but I will take that if you could reply with a positive answer. 

Thank you very much!

January 27, 2025 03:28 AM
Dear eFOI user,
Mabuhay!
Thank you for utilizing the eFOI portal (www.foi.gov.ph) and exercising your right to information under Executive Order No. 2, s. 2016 on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch.
We have received your request on unnumbered DOJ Legal Opinion on E-Sabong, dated Jan. 6, 2025. We will respond and process your request on or before today, in compliance with the Executive Order’s implementing rules and regulations.
Should you have any questions regarding this request, kindly contact me using the reply function on the eFOI portal at ticket number #PAGCOR-931977840489.
Further, please be advised that this is a public site, and any information shared in this conversation thread will be visible to the public. Therefore, we kindly request that you refrain from disclosing any sensitive personal information or data in this thread.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
James Thaddeus Tismo
FOI Officer
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation

  
Dear Ms. Martinez,
Greetings!
This has reference to your electronic Freedom of Information (FOI) request dated January 06, 2024, under Executive Order No. 2 (s. 2016) on Freedom of Information in the Executive Branch, requesting for a copy of the unnumbered Department of Justice (DOJ) Legal Opinion dated 28 January 2021 regarding E-Sabong.
In response thereto, please be informed that the information being requested falls under the Exceptions to Right to Access of Information enumerated under Section 1(b)(i) Office of the President Memorandum Circular No. 15, Series of 2023 issued by the Office of the President, detailed as follows:
“(b) Matters covered by deliberative process privilege, namely: (i) advisory opinions, recommendations, resolutions, minutes of meetings, and deliberations comprising part of a process by which governmental decisions and policies are formulated; intra-agency or inter-agency recommendations or communications during the stage when common assertions are still in the process of being formulated or are in the exploratory stage; or information pertaining to the decision-making of executive officials.”
Based on the above provision, the requested unnumbered DOJ Legal Opinion dated 28 January 2021 may be classified as an inter-agency advisory opinion or recommendation issued by the DOJ to PAGCOR in response to its queries on E-Sabong operations for purposes of formulating E-Sabong regulatory policies and making governmental decisions.
Thank you.
Very truly yours,
Marjorie I. Castro-Naranjo
FOI Decision Maker 
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation