MANILA: A Philippine gaming firm voluntarily halted trading on Wednesday after President Rodrigo Duterte launched an attack on its chairman as part of a campaign against ‘oligarchs’. PhilWeb Corp’s Chairman and Chief Executive Roberto Ongpin resigned last week, a day after newly elected President Duterte threatened to destroy him as part of a drive to curb the influence of wealthy residents over the government. “The exchange approved the company’s request for a voluntary trading suspension of (PhilWeb) shares for a period of 10 trading days, effective from August 10,” an exchange disclosure said. The company has already seen its share prices take a pummelling and after Dutertesiad that he is selling off his 54% stake in PhilWeb. Duterte launched his verbal assault on Ongpin during a speech at an environmental conference on August 4. “These are the people who take the wealth of our nation but don’t spend anything but their saliva and connections,” he said. Sources said the gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) would not renew PhilWeb’s contract to provide software dedicated to casino games after it expires on Wednesday. However Pagcor would not confirm these reports. PhilWeb – capitalised at 7.36 billion pesos – had previously said it was seeking clarification from Pagcor officials. The company put up by 79-year-old Ongpin – described by Forbes as the country’s 20th-richest man with a 2015 net worth of $900 million – received a Pagcor license in 2003 to launch its ‘e-Games stations’.