MANILA, Philippines – Senator Grace Poe said Monday that she wants corrupt officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) exposed after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered its gaming operations stopped amid reports of “massive corruption” in the agency.
Poe stressed the need for the exposure of guilty officials in the PCSO to ensure that its function of raising funds for health programs of the government, including the Universal Health Care Law, continues.
READ: Duterte stops all PCSO gaming activities including lotto, STL
“Para sa akin, kapag may duda talaga ng korapsyon, dapat maibulgar agad kung sino ‘yun, at ‘yung mga hindi naman dapat apektado ay maipagpatuloy para naman makapagbigay ng pera para sa pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan,” she told reporters at the sidelines of the Culminating Ceremony for the 24th Police Community Relations Month at Camp Crame.
(For me, if we have suspicions of corruption, it should be divulged immediately, so that those not affected will continue its operations and that the money will be allotted to our countrymen who need it.)
Poe added that if some officials in the agency are indeed corrupt, they are stealing from the pockets of participants of these gaming operations, including Lotto and small town lottery (STL), handled by the PCSO.
“So kung wala ‘yang mga Lotto, ang tumataya diyan ‘yung mahihirap, nilalagay nila ang kanilang mga pangarap na sana ay mapabuti ang buhay nila. ‘Pag may korapsyon dyan, sila ang nananakawan,” the senator said.
(Those who bet their money in the Lotto are those who live in poverty and dream for their lives to improve. If there is corruption in the Lotto, they are the ones being stolen from.)
“Kaya sana mas mabilis na maresolba kung sino man ‘yun, maisiwalat na kung sino ang responsable dahil kung walang pondo ang PCSO, maraming programa ng gobyerno katulad ng kalusugan ang maapektuhan,” she said.
(That’s why I hope this can be resolved immediately, and that those responsible be exposed because if the PCSO does not have funds, many programs of the government, including those related to health, will be affected.) /je