MANILA, Philippines – No small-town lottery (STL) authorized agent corporations (AACs) has so far complied with President Rodrigo Duterte’s conditions for its resumption, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Royina Garma said Tuesday.
“For now, though the President has lifted the suspension, no STL AAC has complied with the requirements, yet. So, therefore, we have not issued any certification for them to resume their operations,” the PCSO official told lawmakers in a briefing with the House of Representatives’ Games and Amusement Committee.
Last August 22, 2019, PCSO announced that the President had lifted his July 26 order suspending STL operations nationwide due to reported irregularities.
Among the conditions set for the resumption of STL operations were that AACs would deposit to the PCSO, apart from their existing cash bonds, another bond equivalent to three months of the PCSO’s share in guaranteed minimum monthly retail receipts.
AACs were also ordered to execute a written undertaking that it will comply with its obligations under its STL agreement.
Garma said the PCSO tapped the Philippine National Police to ensure that no STL operations are ongoing, pending the operators’ compliance with the government’s conditions.
She said all AACs are well informed and some are already settling their delinquencies with the government.
At their budget hearing last Friday, Garma said the PCSO lost P1.25 billion in this year’s total revenue after the suspension of STL operations for over a month. /gsg
READ: PCSO lost roughly P1.25B due to suspension of STL operations
READ: Palace: Harder now for STL operators to cheat gov’t | Palace: New conditions for STL operations will ‘prevent corruption’
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