QUEZON City Cares (QCares) and Globaltech Mobile Online Corporation have raised questions on the legality of the award of the government’s small town lottery (STL) operations in Quezon City to Lucent Gaming and Entertainment.
Lawyer Bernard Vitriolo, a lawyer of Globaltech, cited information from insiders of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) that the bidding conducted for the STL operations was allegedly rigged to favor Lucent. Vitriolo said Lucent is not financially sound to manage and sustain the STL operations in Quezon City.
He likewise said that Lucent’s real owner is owned by one Ronald Pagulayan, reportedly a relative of PCSO general manager Royina Garma. Pagulayan allegedly used his relations with Garma to win the bidding, according to Vitriolo. QCares decried the allegedly rigged bidding, saying this violated the rules set out in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (RIRR) of the PCSO and urged the revocation of the permission and authority granted to Lucent.
It added that the STL operation in the city is becoming the main tool to spread illegal gambling in Quezon City despite the intensified campaign being conducted by the director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).
