MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte said the decision to suspend the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) gaming activities could be a way to stop the massive corruption within the agency.
Duterte on Monday said the operations of Small Town Lottery (STL) and Peryahan ng Bayan were marred with corruption.
“Tapos itong lotto. Okay, sinabi ko, tinignan ko, Okay, you can resume that. STL, Peryahan ng Bayan… puro nakaw. Ang i-remit nila minus ‘yung kinukunan na nila. So I had to stop it,” Duterte said.
“Ang corruption talaga – sabi ko nga eh, have you ever heard me say that gusto ko nang mag-resign kasi hindi ko mahabol ang corruption. I thought I could, but you know corruption has permitted government itself,” he added.
Duterte suspended the gaming operations of the PCSO on July 26 after he was briefed about the alleged massive corruption in the agency but he allowed the resumption of lotto operations after investigators found no anomalies and regulatory rules have been followed.
However, other PCSO-managed franchises, licenses or permits such as the STL, Keno and Peryahan ng Bayan remain suspended pending the investigation of alleged illegal activities and corrupt practices.
Duterte earlier said he will name around 10 PCSO officials involved in the multibillion-peso corruption scandal.
The PCSO is a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Office of the President tasked to raise and provide funds for health programs./PN
