PCSO claim of P5B from STL not true –Atong Ang

Gaming consultant Charlie “Atong’” Ang on Thursday questioned the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s (PCSO) figures on its earnings from the expanded Small Town Lottery (STL).

PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan had said that the charity agency generated P5.018 billion from STL from January to May this year, up from P2.066-billion earnings in the same period last year.

“That’s not true. They only earned P600 million, which is only 12 percent of the P5 billion,’” Ang said in a phone interview, citing old records and “inside sources” from PCSO.

“They are fooling the people, so more people would play STL thinking it goes to charity.”

The Inquirer called Ang after he issued a statement on the matter.

Ang challenged the PCSO officials to present a breakdown of their earnings, saying he would prove “that they are sugarcoating the actual sales of STL.”

Florante Solmerin, deputy spokesperson for Balutan, said Ang was welcome to check their public record. “We are not issuing false statements. Our numbers are all backed up by our records,” he said.

Ang had earlier accused Balutan and PCSO Chair Jose Jorge Corpuz  of corruption, a charge that they denied.

Corpuz, for his part, said Ang’s  figure was too low. “That’s only the income of one province,” he said.

“Who is he? He is a gaming consultant of what? He is not even an authorized agent corporation, an STL player. He is a jai alai operator. How does he know about our figures?” Corpuz told the Inquirer.

“It’s high time the government earns some money. Jai alai does not remit to the government. STL is government money; Meridien money is [only] Ang’s money,” Corpuz said.

Ang had been rumored to be the owner of the Meridien Vista Gaming Corp., which was ordered by the PCSO in February to stop its numbers game operations that compete with the government-sanctioned STL in Albay province.

Ang also claimed the potential revenue of STL in five months could be higher than P5 billion or at least P25 billion, since STL has a potential gross revenue of P5 billion a month.