The Philippine Racing Commission is also known as PHILRACOM directs the development and growth of the horse racing industry within the Philippines. Much like many Philippine gaming laws, their role as an organization is to ensure the regulation and accelerated growth of the legal domestic industry within their borders. PHILRACOM is also directed to increase the influence and popularity of the sport, not only to bring entertainment and legal avenues to support horse racing but to also ensure the full exploitation of the sport as a revenue source and employment venue for Filipinos; much like PAGCOR. It was predicted the growth of Philippine horse racing industry would inevitably result in the development of other related industries which were either not present at the time of PHILRACOM’s creation or were not fully exploited to their maximum potential.
Creation of PHILRACOM
PHILRACOM was created through the government enactment of Presidential Decree No. 420 on March 20th, 1974 assigned by then Philippine President, Ferdinand E. Marcos. Under PD 420, PHILRACOM is, to this day, directly ordered to be supervised by the Office of the President of the Philippines which aids in the control over PHILRACOM operations to ensure public benefits due to direct communication between departments. While PHILRACOM governs and acts as the regulatory body of the Philippine legal horse betting industry, the GAB or Games and Amusement Board are actually the ones who assist PHILRACOM in managing and regulating horse race betting activities. This partnership between the two agencies was aimed to bring integrity back to the sport and help with the supervision and oversight of horse race betting activities. PHILRACOM and GAB manage domestic horse race betting and do not have jurisdiction over Philippines accessible offshore online sportsbooks and Philippine friendly online racebooks.
Vision and Mission
PHILRACOM exclusively oversees all horse racing operations in the Philippines and aims to maintain productive and profitable operations. PHILRACOM has set several goals toward becoming a more transparent, responsive, innovative, and policy-driven organization. Currently, PHILRACOM aims to maintain effective and unbiased racing operations, raise public confidence in the sport, minimize rule infractions, and improve Philippine horses breeding to prevent the illegal importation of racehorse to the country.
The Commission regulates and enforces various horse racing laws, decrees, and executive orders regarding the industry. They also maintain the power and ability to draft additional rules and regulations concerning the registration of racehorses and their owners, as well as, rules affecting racing associations and federations. PHILRACOM also may regulate the construction and safety of tracks for horse racing and grant permits for such activities and racing.
As stated earlier, PHILRACOM maintains complete jurisdiction over every aspect of the conduct of horse racing, excluding betting-related activities. The Commission may control the framing and scheduling of races, allocation of prizes, racing security, and more as granted to them by PD 420. PHILRACOM has created a number of rules which govern race clubs, who may participate in horse races and their qualification requirements, racehorse classifications, registration, licensing, the conduct of races, prohibited substances and the procedures for drug testing, corrupt practices, offences, and their corresponding penalties, and finally protests and other disputes.
PHILRACOM hopes to bring high-quality entertainment to the Filipino public while creating sustainable job markets and employment opportunities. The proliferation of legal horse racing can assist in improving the livelihood of the Filipino community and the horse racing industry. While PHILRACOM’s main objective is to generate revenue for the government, the Commission offers many socio-economic benefits which trickle down to local communities either through outreach programs or donations.
Goal to be a Successful Economic Booster
PHILRACOM maintains a good amount of authority over horse racing activities in the Philippines and is always trying to develop more jobs, specifically career opportunities, for the community. Keeping a high standard of quality control allows PHILRACOM to advertise its horse racing industry as a top-tier tourist attraction and viable market. The more tourist dollars Philippine horse racing industry can obtain the more revenue it can give back to the government and its people. The Philippines received their recognition as a member of the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities in April of 2016 after years of quality control and improvements which helped place the industry on a highly visible world-class level.
Community – PHILRACOM Makes a Difference
Outside of the revenue generated and given to local and central governments, PHILRACOM designates a portion of racing revenues back to the community. PHILRACOM often donates its revenue to public health programs and emergency medical services such as the Philippine Red Cross or directs charity races to help fund the restoration of communities devastated by storms and natural disasters. Many outreach programs such as the Kapamilymed Medical Outreach Program were produced through the revenue allocated by PHILRACOM in order to increase employment for medical experts and staff, as well as, create benefits such as vaccination, medication, and viral testing in low-income regions as a way to give back to the Philippine community.
Member Associations
Through PHILRACOM, several member associations were created in partnership with the racing community. These member associations are as follows:
- The Philippine Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Organization Inc., or PHILTOBO
- Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners, or MARHO
- New Philippine Jockeys’ Association Inc.
- Philippine Race Horse Trainers’ Association, or PRHTA
- Philippine Racing Club, Inc.
- Manila Jockey Club Inc.
- Klub Don Juan De Manila