PCSO made P5B from STL

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has earned P5 billion from Small Town Lottery (STL) in the first five months of the year, officials said on Wednesday.

The PCSO generated some P5.018-billion profit from the expanded STL from January to May this year, general manager Alexander Balutan said in a statement.

This is more than twice the P2.066-billion STL earnings during the same period last year, he said.

This year, PCSO has spent P2,842,144,673.84 in medical assistance for some 137,768  beneficiaries. The assistance is expected to increase nationwide, according to Balutan.

Thirty percent of the agency’s income from STL goes to PCSO’s charitable services, particularly its Individual Medical Assistance Program (Imap), Balutan said.

“The number of Filipinos receiving medical assistance from PCSO is significantly increasing day by day, and we expect more patients who will seek assistance from us,” he said, noting that the increased medical assistance and charity programs were part of President Duterte’s marching orders.

Balutan had earlier defended STL from criticisms, saying it was a form of “responsible gaming,” not gambling.

“PCSO is different from the usual casino operation where profit is the main driver. From the beginning, our purpose of being is to do charity work,” he said.