Maliksi faces plunder raps due to P15-billion STL losses

Former Cavite Rep. Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi, now PCSO chairman. Photo from congress.gov.ph

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chairman Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi is facing plunder and graft charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for implementing moratorium on the operation of small town lottery (STL).

The case was filed by Filipino Alliance for Transparency and Empowerment (Fate), a cause-oriented group, in connection with the moratorium issued by Maliksi last June 2015 without the approval of the PCSO board.

“The moratorium of Maliksi resulted in the loss of PCSO up to P15 billion which supposedly for the benefit of impoverished Filipinos seeking financial aid to the agency,” said Jennifer Castro, president of Fate.

The moratorium was implemented for two months due to allegations that STL operators have not been declaring their actual sales to PCSO following the probe made by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) upon ordrrs of Maliksi.

But the NBI denied that there were illegal activities in the STL operations and instead found out procedural lapses only.

“Sa itinatadhana ng Republic Act 7080 o Plunder Law, ang sinumang opisyal ng pamahalaan ay maaaring papanagutin sa plunder kung nagresulta sa malaking pinsala sa taumbayan at sa Republika ang paggamit nito ng kanyang kapangyarihan o impluwensya,” the Fate noted.

Castro added, “P15 billion is P15 billion. Marami sanang natulungan ang halagang ito, kung hindi mag-isang nakialam si Chairman Maliksi at nagdesisyon ng pansarili.”