Corpuz: War vs illegal gambling underway

CEBU, Philippines - The chairman of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has vowed to intensify the campaign against illegal gambling soon.

PCSO chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz said that President Rodrigo Duterte has already given the marching order to go after the operators of illegal numbers game. Corpuz said he had been hopping from one field office to another to personally disseminate the directive from the president.

He said the order was to eradicate illegal gambling and corruption by promoting regulated lottery numbers game. Corpuz, a retired police general, recently visited Cebu.

"Next year will be war against illegal gambling," Corpuz said.

Corpuz relayed to the department and branch managers of PCSO in the Visayas the instructions of the president.

"I want you to take care of the government. I want you to generate more revenues, to stop illegal gambling and stop corruption on the ground so that we can buy medicines and supply them to all government hospitals that will be made available to all our Filipino," he said.

The revenues generated from the lottery games will benefit various social projects of local government units. Under an existing executive order, host LGUs will get five percent share of the lottery operations in their area.

The PCSO has been mandated to set aside 30 percent of its net receipts from its lotto operations as Lotto Charity Fund. Of the 30 percent under the Lotto Charity Fund, five percent of which will be given in favor of the municipality or city where lotto tickets are sold.

In fact, during Corpuz's visit last October 28 the latter turned over the checks of the respective share of the 43 municipalities and cities in Cebu province, including the two percent share of the provincial government.

He said that PCSO generated P37.4 billion of revenue nationwide in 2015. He added P28 billion of which came from lotto outlets and P4.7 billion from small town lotteries.

He encouraged LGU's in Cebu province to put up small town lotteries to generate bigger revenues as well as to provide employment.

"My mission is to stop illegal gambling and promote STL as the only legal numbers game that is playing on the ground sanctioned by the government providing revenue that will go to the communities," he said.

PCSO is the government agency responsible in the operation and supervision of charity sweepstakes races, lottery and other similar activities as source of funds raised mainly for health programs, medical assistance and services, and charities.

Corpuz also turned over new ambulances to Saint Anthony Mother and Child Hospital in Cebu City; Talisay District Hospital; Bureau of Fire Protection of the Carcar City Fire Station; Rescue Assistance Peacekeeping Intelligence Detail, Inc. in Cebu City; and the Catmon municipal government. (FREEMAN)