Senate may tackle ‘lavish’ PCSO Christmas party

The Senate committee on games and amusement will open an inquiry into the allegedly lavish Christmas party thrown by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) for its staff last month.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the committee chair, said on Thursday that the panel would resume hearings on Jan. 17 on pending bills that had to do with the PCSO charter and that the allegations of former “jueteng” whistleblower Sandra Cam about the PCSO Christmas party “may be tackled.”

Cam, recently appointed to the PCSO board, earlier claimed that the agency spent P10 million for its staff party last month.

PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan denied Cam’s price tag, saying the agency spent only P6 million.

But Cam pressed her attack on Balutan and PCSO Chair Jorge Corpuz, both of whom are former military officials.

She said on Thursday that days after she disclosed the multimillion-peso Christmas party, Balutan issued a memorandum prohibiting PCSO employees from releasing documents to the public without his approval.

On Dec. 27, Cam said she wrote to PCSO assistant general managers Larry Cerdo and Remeliza Gabuyo asking them for information about the small town lottery and hospitals with PCSO-aided patients.

It has been a week but Gabuyo and Cerdo have yet to release the documents, she said.

She said she was giving Balutan up to Jan. 15 to approve the release of the documents or she would take the matter to the Office of the Ombudsman.—REPORTS FROM CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND AIE BALAGTAS SEE