‘Lotto expected to return soon’

By: Jennifer P. Rendon 

THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) expects President Rodrigo Duterte to allow the resumption of lotto operations soon.

A PCSO insider told Daily Guardian that the PCSO of Board of Directors met on July 29, 2019 and agreed to appeal to Pres. Duterte to allow the resumption of lotto games.

For now, the PCSO board will not appeal the immediate revival of the Small Town Lottery (STL), Peryahan ng Bayan, and keno games.

The PCSO source said lotto is immune from corruption and scams.

“Kasi naman ang lotto transparent ang draw nya. Wala namang dayaan. We hope na immediately ay maging operational ulit s’ya,” the source said.

Even, Senator Panfilo Lacson said that President Duterte should have excluded lotto from his order to stop all PCSO-sanctioned games.

In the case of STL, the PCSO source said it is facing a big issue. The source added that STL’s fate remains uncertain, for now.

“As others say, it’s like a legal jueteng,” the PCSO source said.

As to the social services extended by PCSO, the source said they still have funds to cover the medical and other expenses.

“Although it’s sourced from our daily sale, we still have funds, at least for now,” the source added.

Thousands of Filipinos were left jobless with the closure, which Duterte claimed was triggered by massive corruption in the PCSO.

The PCSO officials and personnel expect members of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to storm the main office and conduct an investigation.