Coalition bares ‘Oplan One PCSO Operator’ plot of Maliksi

The Coalition of Filipino Consumers (CFC) on Wednesday disclosed “Oplan: One PCSO Operator” hatched by PCSO Chairman Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi to pave the way for “jueteng” and other illegal numbers games.

Perfecto Tagalog, the coalition’s spokesperson, said the plot was masterminded by alleged gambling lord Charlie “Atong” Ang who will eventually be the main beneficiary of the scheme in the event Maliksi succeeds in putting a stop to STL operations.

Maliksi is said to be an associate of Ang.

“There is no need for a moratorium on STL. Yung mga consumers na pinoprotektshan namin anb daming pakinabang sa STL,” Tagalog said.

“It’s suspicious that Maliksi would order a crackdown on the government-sponsored small town lottery (STL), which in the first place was introduced as a regulated and thus revenue-generating alternative to jueteng,” Tagalog said.

The group said Maliksi reportedly asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to conduct an operation against authorized agent corporation (AAC) of the PCSO operating the STL in various provinces.

The raids were reportedly based on small offenses such as the non-wearing of proper PCSO uniform and identification cards (IDs).

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

Maliksi himself earlier admitted that he’s good friends with Charlie “Atong” Ang, the known operator of Meridien Vista Gaming Corp. whose business competes with the PCSO’s Small Town Lottery (STL) in many places.

Ang’s Meriedien is reportedly behind the Jai-alai and the jueteng-like Virtual 2 lottery gaming that competes with STL in Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Benguet, Rizal, Cavite, Oriental Mindoro, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Albay.

While STL allocates a substantial slice of its sales to charity funds and taxes, Meridien does not, it being a locator in the Cagayan Export Processing Zone enjoying tax-exempt status.

“The board has overruled Maliksi in his many attempts to stop STL operations so Atong Ang could take over,”Tagalog stressed.

Tagalog said Congress must investigate why Meridien only pays a small business permit fee to the city or town where it operates, while the bulk of its PR money presumably goes to gaining the good graces of officials, many of whom then grow tolerant of the firm’s lottery game.