PCSO directors slammed on medical funds

Lawmakers are asking for a more equitable distribution of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds after their deployment has been unduly concentrated in the hands of its board members since senators and representatives lost their medical endorsement privileges with the abolition of the pork barrel system.

House committee on games and amusement chair and Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said the PCSO board should explain how its board members choose the recipients of the so-called “director’s charity funds” that provide instant release of medical aid.

“There are plenty of poor provinces in the country whose residents have not received any medical aid from the PCSO. We want to be enlightened on the process and the limit per director,” said Barzaga in Wednesday’s hearing.

During the hearing, Barzaga disclosed the charity fund releases of four PCSO board members from 2012 to November 2015—director Mabel Villarica Mamba (P517 million), director Aleta Tolentino (P116 million), former acting chair (incumbent general manager) Ferdinand Rojas II (P74 million),  chair Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi (appointed April 2015) with P20 million. As GM, Rojas has no charity funds perks reserved only for the chair and directors.

 Distributed equitably

Barzaga sought a more detailed information on the recipients of these charity fund releases to determine the selection process used by directors in releasing these funds.

Rojas, however, denied that PCSO board members abused the director’s charity funds.

“Charity fund releases are in accordance with our charity program annually. Our flagship program IMAP or the individual medical assistance program has expanded over the decades in order to assist individuals nationwide for their medical and health related needs. This is distributed equitably with our 50 branches nationwide,” said Rojas in a text message.

Rojas said the PCSO board was open to any amendments proposed by Congress to further strengthen its mandate to assist the medical needs of the underprivileged.

Maliksi triggered a board room war in the PCSO when he accused Rojas and other board directors of using their position to prioritize rich patients in getting medical assistance. The board countered by accusing Maliksi of using his charity funds allegedly for his driver.

On Wednesday, an anticorruption watchdog has brought a graft complaint against Maliksi before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly giving “preferential treatment” to his “personal driver” who received P2.1 million in financial aid from the state-run lottery firm.

 Guarantee letter

In her complaint, Jennifer Castro of the Filipino Alliance for Transparency and Empowerment said Maliksi should be held criminally liable for signing a “guarantee letter” for Celestino Aman, who underwent a heart bypass at the Philippine Heart Center last year.

Castro also questioned the propriety of Maliksi’s request to the PHC to use P700,000 in his “remaining” pork barrel, which he had previously allocated to the government hospital when he was still a Cavite lawmaker, to pay for Aman’s unsettled hospital bills.

Sought for comment, Maliksi said it was PCSO general manager Ferdinand Rojas II who had recommended and approved the aid  to Aman.

He said that Aman, who died after undergoing the medical procedure in August 2015, never worked as his personal driver but was a confidential agent of PCSO. With Marlon Ramos