Perhaps one of the top locations
wherein which Filipinos throw their excess money rather consistently is with
gambling. Lately that has been with the various draws and lotteries managed by
the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), the revenues of every ticket
and number combination going into charitable ends such as medical assistance,
health programs and the like. Whenever the lottery prize inches closer towards
big money like a billion pesos, one can expect aspiring lotto winners to pack
the PCSO outlets until the prize is won. That routine has been severely
affected however, when last Friday the President ordered all PCSO outlet operations
to close.
According to Inquirer.net, President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the immediate
closure and stoppage of operations for all licensees of the Philippine Charity
Sweepstakes Office throughout the country on Friday, July 26. This includes all
outlets for Lotto, Peryahan ng Bayan and Small-Town Lottery (STL). The President’s
announcement was carried on a video posted at the official Facebook page for
the Presidential Communications Operations Office. By his order, all standing
franchises and licenses with the PCSO are effectively terminated. The President
explains that he has stopped all PCSO operations on account of reported
widespread corruption in the corporation, with officials involved.
"Since as of this moment
beginning now, the licenses and franchises of whatever kind or nature granted
by the PCSO as to all gambling schemes lotto peryahan ng bayan, STL, and those
machines there that can be found everywhere, I will give them 24 hours to remove
them from the public places," so went President Duterte’s order on the
video. He has further empowered all police and military personnel to
immediately arrest any licensees that will continue to operate in spite of the PCSO
closure, and in addition will disregard any court order to restrain operations
from being carried out.
Both the Philippine National Police
(PNP) and military have taken steps to ensure the closure of all PCSO outlets
over the weekend. According to the Commission on Audit (COA), it was reported
that about in third of the PCSO charity fund for 2017 was funneled to other recipients
outside of health programs and medical expense assistance, for a total amount
of P5.89 billion. With the PCSO under investigation, the President through
spokesperson Salvador Panelo has directed petitioners to write either the
President’s Office or the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR),
which remains operational in overseeing government-licensed casinos in the
Philippines.
Even that however is in doubt
considering President Rodrigo Duterte’s idea of criminalizing all forms of
gambling, though he would have to confer with Congress in doing so. PCSO
licensees are decrying the loss of employment from the mass closure, while
detractors suspect that the lottery shutdown was to remove competition for
Chinese-built gaming centers.
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