The aggressive implementation of the expanded government-run Small Town Lottery has struck hard against illegal numbers games such as jueteng, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Balutan said Tuesday.
Balutan said this amid a “demolition job” by former jueteng bagman and whistleblower Sandra Cam and “gambling lord” Charlie “Atong” Ang against the PCSO’s lottery game.
“We have achieved a record high STL revenue of up to P18 billion this year, from just more than P4 billion a year. Our STL is a potent source of income to finance the Duterte government’s free medical services to Filipinos, specially the indigent,” Balutan said.
He said this is the only reason why Ang found an ally in his close friend Cam to destroy the STL and PCSO in general.
Cam was recently appointed director to the PCSO board.
Ang and Cam were “known figures” in the world of illegal numbers games, the agency said.
Cam has argued with Balutan and PCSO Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz over what she claimed was the “lavish spending” for the agency’s Christmas celebration.
Cam, citing an unofficial document, insisted that PCSO spent P9.5 million and said she can back it up with more evidence. But Balutan and Corpuz said a just little over P6 million was spent.
“Kung matuloy ang hamon niyang imbestigasyon sa Kongreso, we will prove her wrong. Mapapahiya siya. Handa po tayong humarap sa imbestigasyon [If she continues her threat to call for a congressional invitation… she will be proven wrong. We are ready to face anything],” Balutan said.
Balutan reiterated that Cam wants to become chairman or general manager of the PCSO so Ang will have a hand in manipulating the systems of the lottery games.
He said Cam accompanied Ang to meet him and Corpuz shortly after they assumed their positions. Cam and Ang offered to operate STL nationwide in exchange for P200 million in monthly remittances, Balutan said.
“The offer was promptly rejected,” he added.
At present, PCSO is earning up to P2 billion a month from STL, with 84 of the 92 approved Authorized Agent Corporations already operational.
Cam and Ang even dropped the names of President Rodrigo Duterte and his special assistant, Bong Go, who had supposedly sent them to Balutan and Corpuz to discuss how the STL should be operated.
But in one of her radio interviews Tuesday, Cam flip-flopped and reportedly denied she and Ang went to Balutan and Corpuz, the agency said.
The PCSO officials laughed off Cam’s denial.
“We have photos to prove they came to us offering a deal, which we promptly rejected,” Balutan said.
Balutan said STL was created to eradicate illegal gambling, and over a year the lottery was aggressively killing “jueteng,” “masiao,” “swertres” and other illegal numbers games.
“Maybe this week or next week to be sure, we will be reporting to the President and to the Filipino people the exact amount of our 2017 STL revenues. What we have for now is from January to November in the amount of P13,946,261,327.08,” Balutan said.
He said the STL is a “big blow” against jueteng, as operators of the latter used to collect an estimated P2.37 billion a month.
“This jueteng pays no taxes to the government. It’s all money in the pockets of gambling lords like Atong Ang and their protectors,” Balutan said.
“For STL and other lottery games ng PCSO like Lotto, Keno and Sweepstakes, PCSO pays taxes. From January to November this year, we’ve paid taxes amounting to P7,072,167,390.61,” Balutan said.
Thirty percent of the STL and other lottery revenues automatically goes to the charity fund to finance free dialysis and chemo treatments, hospital bills, free medicines and other expenses of indigent patients.
From January to November, PCSO has registered 356,520 beneficiaries, compared to the 269,312 beneficiaries in the same period of 2016, in its Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP). The agency has already spent over P7 billion for this, Balutan said.