LAWMAKERS have taken the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to task for the recent closure of 2,000 lotto outlets, saying it could have been done to favor the operation of its online betting platform “e-lotto,” which is being run by the Pacific Online Corporation.
“Pinapatay n’yo ang lotto sa e-lotto? (You’re killing lotto for e-lotto?)” Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, asked PCSO officials in a hearing last Tuesday.
Congressmen lamented that the closure of 2,000 lotto outlets has resulted to the loss of many jobs, including one lotto agent who broke down in tears during the hearing for losing her livelihood.
The lotto agent shared the lawmaker’s suspicion that PCSO is favoring e-lotto.
PCSO Assistant General Manager Remeliza Gabuyo said the lotto outlets were shut down for its weak sales performance.
“Doon sa kontrata po nila may nakalagay po naman na ang performance ng ating mga lotto agents will be subject to review (It’s stipulated in their contracts that the performance of lotto agents will be subject to review),” said Gabuyo.
Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo laughed off Gabuyo’s claim, saying it’s obvious that performance is not the reason for shutting down the 2,000 lotto outlets.
“Hindi underperformance kasi unilaterally nag-decide na tanggalin ang 2,000 agents dahil nag-decide sila unilaterally na i-reduce ang capacity basically (It’s not underperformance because they unilaterally decided to reduce the capacity, basically.) From 8,500 to 6,500. Maliwanag na wala namang targets (It’s clear there’s no sales target),” she said.
The PCSO denied favoring e-lotto, adding it will also study the purchase of additional terminals for the new Philippine Lottery System (PLS), which is expected to enhance the operations of the government’s lottery games.
“The reason why 2,000 agents were terminated was because of the implementation of the Philippine lottery system,” said lawyer Kat Contacto.
PCSO general manager Mel Robles has said that the PLS would bring a wide range of benefits such as the “centralization of sales reports, generation of winning numbers, and more accessible validation of tickets which would lead to improved efficiency and transparency for both the PCSO and lottery players.”
