“THE PCSO (Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office) shall appeal to the Office of the President.”
This was the assurance of the PCSO Board to its bettors, agents, and beneficiaries after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the immediate stoppage of all of its gaming activities due to alleged “massive” corruption in the agency.
The PCSO is a government-owned and -controlled corporation under the Office of the President. It is mandated to raise and provide funds for health programs, including medical assistance and services.
Newly installed PCSO General Manager Royina Garma, who vowed to weed out corrupt PCSO officials, announced in a statement released on the PCSO’s Facebook page on Saturday, July 27, 2019, the suspension of its gaming activities.
“Pursuant to the order of the President suspending PCSO’s gaming activities, the PCSO Board directs compliance to said instruction until further notice. Rest assured that PCSO shall appeal to the Office of the President for the resumption of the conduct of all games to PCSO’s mandate and for the interest of the PCSO, its agents and its beneficiaries,” reads a portion of the statement.
Moreover, she asked all their bettors with advance play tickets to keep their tickets until further notice.
Duterte issued his directive in a video message uploaded on the Facebook page of the Presidential Communications Operations Office at nearly 11 p.m. on Friday, July 26.
“I have today ordered the closure, the stoppage of all gaming schemes of whatever nature, however done, that got their franchises to do so from the PCSO,” Duterte said in his special message.
“The ground is massive corruption involving all [gaming activities], pati (and even) the courts [that] repeatedly issued injunctions to paralyze government and to allow corruption to thrive,” he added.
24-hour deadline
His order covers lotto, small town lottery (STL), Peryahan ng Bayan and Keno, among others.
The President said his directive was effective, as of Friday.
“Pending investigation, lahat ho ng laro ng lotto, STL, Peryahan ng Bayan or whatever nature. There’s one, ‘yung gambling machine, Keno. I said all gaming activities, ‘yung gambling that got their franchise from government through PCSO are as of today suspended or terminated because of massive corruption. Wala ako magawa (I have no choice). I have to do it,” he said.
“I will not honor transactions that are clearly on the side of, you know, scheming people, the Republic of the Philippines, of the money due it. Puro dayaan lahat at ‘yung mga kontrata ay parang (There’s cheating there and all contracts seem to be) crafted in favor of corruption and to favor other corporations and people. I will not allow it,” Duterte added.
Duterte gave a 24-hour deadline for the removal of gaming and gambling materials of the PCSO gaming schemes in public places.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Debold Sinas ordered his chiefs of police to close all STL outlets in the region.
“We have received an order that starting yesterday, all the PCSO gaming, peryahan ng Bayan, STL are ordered closed. Legal or illegal, even those in malls, all of them should be closed due to corruption,” he said.
“We will put a ‘Closed’ signage. We have at least two days to focus on this operation. We will first talk to them, give them at least 30 minutes to remove their things. If they will resist, then the police will be the one to do so,” he added.
As of 3 p.m. on Saturday, a total of 2,462 PCSO gaming outlets had been closed in Central Visayas.
The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) closed 133 PCSO gaming franchises; the Mandaue City Police Office, 130; the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office,52; the Cebu Police Provincial Office, 633; the Bohol Police Provincial Office, 530; the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, 911; and the Siquijor Police Provincial Office, 73.
Intensified campaign
Meanwhile, Sinas admitted that the Philippine National Police received a share from the earnings of STL. However, there was nothing he could do since the order of the stoppage of PCSO operations came from the President.
He denied that other forms of gambling like masiao would thrive in the absence of PCSO games since they would go after operators of illegal gambling.
Colonel Gemma Vinluan, CCPO director, echoed his sentiment.
She ordered station commanders to intensify their campaign against illegal gambling.
Majority of swertres and STL outlets are located in Cebu City. That is why these will be monitored, she said.
Vinluan also issued a warning to illegal gambling operators.
“Pag sila ay nagkaroon ng resistance, lagyan namin sila ng kaso na appropriate para sa kanilang offense (If they don’t stop their operations, we will file the appropriate case against them),” she said.
In a statement on Saturday, July 27, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte was “outraged” by the discovery of the “plunderous machinations of these scoundrels whose insatiable greed is infinite and beyond redemption.”
Panelo said that in “due time,” the President would identify those who are involved in corrupt activities.
“It appears that there is a grand conspiracy among the major players and enforcers of these government-sanctioned gaming activities and enterprises to cheat the government of its rightful shares, depriving therefore the masses of our people of receiving basic services needed by them,” the Palace official said.
“The Chief Executive will identify the culprits in due time and the full force of the law will come crushing down on them. This hydra-headed corruption will be cut off until it reproduces no more,” he added.
Panelo said Duterte’s order may serve as a “stern” warning to government workers, as well as all the enemies of the state, that “the Duterte presidency will be unrelenting in its war against corruption and unforgiving to the transgressors of the law.”
“The President shall continue to brandish the flaming sword of his office and strike it at the heart of this social and political monstrous dragon,” he said. (With SCG of Superbalita Cebu, SunStar Philippines)