Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Tuesday urged the head of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to resign for supposedly failing to protect minors from the “evils of gambling” through its e-lotto or online lottery project, which can be accessed through mobile phones and computers.
Rodriguez, a senior lawmaker, said that the PCSO pushed through with the e-lotto test run despite the House committee on games and amusement’s approval of a bill banning online lotto.
He called on PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles to step down for launching e-lotto that “exposes minors to the evils of gambling and erodes [their] moral values.”
“It is accessible to anyone, even to young children whose welfare might be affected,” Rodriguez said.
He added that the House committee chaired by Cavite Rep. Antonio Ferrer had approved House Bill No. 9283, which seeks to prohibit “online placing of bets through mobile phones, laptops, tablets, personal computers, and other similar gadgets for all lotto games.”
Rodriguez principally authored HB 9283, with Bulacan Rep. Augustina Dominique Pancho and Parañaque City Rep. Gustavo Tambunting as coauthors.
“Robles likewise has not secured approval of the e-lotto from President Marcos. I believe that the President will not allow this online lotto because this will be very detrimental to our children and the Filipino youth,” Rodriguez said.
“The PCSO ignored the OGCC’s (Office of the Government Corporate Counsel) recommendations and must face legal sanctions accordingly,” he added.
Review procedures
The PCSO, meanwhile, said it would review its procedures for posting photos of lotto winners.
Earlier, it was criticized by the public after a photo of the woman who won in the P43-million Lotto 6/42 draw was later revealed to have been edited to hide her identity.
Last week, Robles apologized for the faux pas but defended the photo, saying in a Teleradyo interview that editing pictures was not their “forte.”