State Gaming Form Embroiled in Controversies
MANILA, PHILIPPINES -- Philippine gaming lottery agency, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), continues to be in the headlines these past few days.
After allegations on malversation of public funds by former PCSO officials, the gifting of vehicles to church bishops, violations of the state gaming firm's own charters by directors, and supposedly unlimited advertising and marketing budgets, a Senate hearing earlier today revealed that an ex-PCSO official delivered project proposals and budget requests directly to former Philippine President (now Congresswoman) Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
According to a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, former PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte admitted under oath that she and the former president were close. And that she had delivered to Arroyo proposals and requests for funding.
Uriarte was being questioned by the powerful Senate Blue Ribbon Committee led by Senator Teofisto Guingona III on the existence of a Php 150 million (US$3.5 million) intelligence fund by the state gaming company in 2010 that was approved by Arroyo. Uriarte was appointed by the PCSO Board of Directors to be the special disbursement officer in charge of the said fund The senator made note that the said amount was equivalent to the intelligence fund of the country's armed forces for the current year.
In her response to the questioning, Uriarte said that the intelligence fund was used by the PCSO to combat "jueteng", an illegal numbers game that is prevalent in many provinces in the Philippines including Metro Manila and that was killing the implementation of PCSO's Small Town Lottery game (STL).
Aside from Php 150 million in intelligence funds for 2010, Guigona also said that intelligence funds were also allocated in 2008 and 2009 -- Php 75 million and Php 90 million, respectively. Citing documents from PCSO, the senator said that the intelligence funds were requested for the PCSO to fight graft and corruption in the agency which included "unauthorized expenditures of endowment fund for charity patients and organizations, and the arrest of fixers and owners of drug stores selling medicines donated by the PCSO."
At the close of the hearing, Senator Guigona recommended sweeping changes in the PCSO's charter especially in the use of its funds for charity. He cited specifically the way PCSO distributes ambulances to various agencies and local governments.
Gifting of Vehicles to Church Officials
Just recently, the PCSO was embroiled in another controversy when it was divulged that several bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in the country received donations which in turn were used to buy vehicles. The most public of these questionable transactions was that of Butuan Bishop Juan de Dios Pueblos who personally requested a Mitsubishi Montero sports utility vehicle from then President Arroyo in 2009 as a "birthday gift". Aside from Pueblos, others receiving PCSO donations which were in turn used to purchase vehicles were named as the Apostolic Vicariate of Bontoc-Lagawe which bought a second-hand Nissan Pathfinder, the Diocese of Abra (Mitsubishi Strada), Archdiocese of Cotobato (Toyota Grandia), the Prelature of Isabela in Basilan (Mitsubishi Strada), the Archdiocese of Zamboanga (Toyota Grandia), and the Caritas Nueva Segovia (Isuzu Crosswind).
Source: Inquirer.net
Posted: July 7, 2011
