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Friday, March 29, 2024

Mayors’ permit woes eased

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PHILIPPINE Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Alexander Balutan assured local government units of higher shares from the expanded Small Town Lottery although they can no longer issue permits or licenses.

He said Authorized Agent Corporations need not secure any business permit from local chief executives to play STL.

Balutan made the remark after mayors proposed during the recent convention of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines that an AAC who wants to play STL in their place should first secure a business permit from the municipal government.

“In as much as the PCSO wants to generate revenue through the STL, we mayors also want to generate revenue that would be derived from STL operation since this is being operated by a private business entity. Therefore, this business entity should secure first a business permit from the municipal government,” Mayor Roberto Madla of Boac, Marinduque explained during the forum.

But PCSO Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz insisted that the authorization PCSO gave to STL agents is enough.

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“There is no need for AACs to secure business permit from the mayors. All permits issued by local officials for numbers game operators are illegal because the only legal numbers game in the country is STL,” Corpuz emphasized.

Balutan also explained the long-term benefits that the LGUs can derived from STL.

“The PCSO will help them, the STL offers substantially more benefits that they are getting now and it is legal, too,” Balutan said, adding the PCSO and LGUs can come up with more projects that will be more beneficial to the community.

Earlier, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte ordered the PCSO to increase its revenue to buy free medicines for the people.

“We can cooperate on so many projects. The President is particularly interested in health services. LGUs can use the PCSO for that purpose,” Balutan said.

“But the PCSO also needs to increase the collection of revenues to cater the health needs of the majority of Filipinos,” he added.

Balutan stressed that under the law the PCSO lottery ticket sellers are not required to secure business permits or licenses from LGUs but assured local executives that the PCSO will not dictate on them because they need their support in expanding the operation of STL in their jurisdictions.

“PCSO will not dictate on LGUs. We need them as much as they need us,” he said.

On Wednesday, also during a forum hosted by the League of Governors, Balutan and Corpuz also assured the governors that the agency will work to increase the shares of provinces in STL operations.

Corpuz made the remarks in response to the complaints of governors that with the new Implementing Rules and Regulation of STL, their shares decreased to 0.75 percent.

“Some governors promised to help us protect and promote STL. In return, we promised to improve their public services. Increasing their shares is the only beginning,” he said.

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