MANILA, Philippines — Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda has proposed digitizing the products of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to maximize income despite the quarantine restrictions.
“If you digitalize, you could operate despite quarantines. It’s also good for maximizing revenues from small town lottery (STL). If you have a digital trail, you can account for revenues better and prevent under-declaration of sales,” Salceda told PCSO officials during a House of Representatives ways and means committee hearing.
The PCSO’s revenues dropped from P44 billion in 2019 to P18 billion in 2020 due to the five-month halt in operations triggered by the community quarantine.
Salceda also said that STL sales declined in 2020, from P19.88 billion in 2019 to just P5.7 billion in 2020.
Salceda proposed replicating the e-sabong model to digitalize PCSO’s products because it has a “ready ecosystem.”
In November, the House passed a bill authored by Salceda that would tax online locally licensed cockfights and derbies on third and final reading.
READ: House OKs tax on online cockfights, derbies
“You don’t have to reinvent the wheel. And the ecosystem is earning big revenues… You can talk to the stakeholders of the sector, and see what you can learn from them,” he said.
“The e-payment, the digital trail, and the efficiency of win payouts are remarkable for that sector,” he added.
“I strongly suggest that you work with the sector, so we can make the STL more transparent and efficient. I suspect some agents are still underreporting,” Salceda told PCSO officials.