Lance Gokongwei Appointed PhilWeb Chairman

Philippine businessman Lance Gokongwei has been appointed chairman of PhilWeb Corp, the business-to-business service provider operating in the country’s online gaming sector. His appointment follows the resignation of Crisanto Alcid from his roles as chairman and chief executive officer.

Alcid stepped down from both positions on Thursday but will continue to serve as a director of PhilWeb. The company confirmed that the chief executive officer role has not yet been filled.

Gokongwei joined PhilWeb’s board in mid-July, shortly after reports emerged that he had personally invested PHP2.03 billion, equivalent to US$32.6 million, in the company.

AI Infrastructure Forms Part of Growth Plans

PhilWeb said Gokongwei’s appointment as chairman is expected to support its next stage of capitalisation and operational expansion. The company plans to introduce institutional-grade infrastructure supported by artificial intelligence, with a focus on creating higher standards for security and compliance within the regulated digital ecosystem.

The company has identified several immediate priorities for the planned infrastructure, including real-time monitoring, algorithm-based risk management, automated regulatory compliance, anti-fraud systems and data-driven optimisation across the customer life cycle.

PhilWeb president Brian Ng said Gokongwei’s appointment would bring the institutional governance required for the company's next phase of expansion. He added that the planned AI infrastructure is being developed to meet backend requirements for premium commercial tourism complexes and multinational platform providers, with capital market discipline guiding its implementation.

PhilWeb Supports Philippines Gaming Operators

PhilWeb currently supplies online gaming platforms to several land-based casino operators in the Philippines. As of June 30, the company had integrated four game content providers into the country’s e-games network.

According to PhilWeb’s second-quarter earnings report, published in mid-August, those providers had at least 1,600 games approved by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, PAGCOR.

The planned technology infrastructure will be deployed within PhilWeb’s existing B2B platform operations. The company said the system is intended to support functions related to security, compliance, monitoring, risk management and fraud prevention throughout the regulated digital ecosystem.

CEO Role Yet to Be Filled

PhilWeb said Gokongwei will serve as chairman for the remainder of the term previously held by Alcid, although the company did not disclose the duration of that term.

In a letter filed with the Philippine Stock Exchange on Friday, PhilWeb confirmed that the CEO position became vacant following Alcid’s resignation. The company also stated that its board had not appointed a successor under the resolutions relating to the leadership changes.

Alcid was appointed chairman in December last year, replacing Gregorio Araneta. In October, PhilWeb announced that Gregorio Araneta Inc had agreed to sell its entire 57% interest in the company for PHP1.80 billion.

Gokongwei Takes Central Role in PhilWeb

Gokongwei is the president and chief executive officer of JG Summit Holdings Inc, one of the Philippines’ largest conglomerates. The group has business interests that include Robinsons Land Corp, Universal Robina Corp and airline Cebu Pacific.

NUSTAR Resort & Casino in Cebu is owned and operated by Universal Hotels and Resorts Inc, a privately held company controlled by the Gokongwei family. NUSTAR Online is one of the online gaming providers currently working with PhilWeb.

PhilWeb has previously stated that Gokongwei's involvement with the company was in a personal capacity. His appointment as chairman now places him in a leading position within PhilWeb’s governance structure and its planned AI infrastructure development.