PCSO’s Maliksi defends himself vs plunder case

• FATE sues PCSO Chair Maliksi for the loss of P15 billion when the STL operations were halted


• The agency head defends himself; saying that the case has no factual basis


• Maliksi says that the charge is impossible since the STL only earns P400 million annually

Chairman Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has defended himself in the plunder case filed against him by the Filipino Alliance for Transparency and Empowerment (FATE); saying that the complaint he had lost P15 billion when he halted the operations of small-town lottery (STL) has no factual basis.

In an article written by Marc Jayson Cayabyab for Philippine Daily Inquirer, it was disclosed that Maliksi believes that FATE’s claim is not possible since the STL only earns around P400 million each year.

According to the PCSO head, he imposed a moratorium on STL operations after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) reported several lapses on the procedures governing the game’s administration; whereby the bureau claims that there are STL operators who use it as a front for illegal gambling.

“Rather than curb ‘jueteng,’ STL became a legitimate cover for the illegal numbers game. That’s why STL, in the hands of private operators, will never bring in its envisioned revenues,” Maliksi said.

The former governor of Cavite province also said that STL operations should be placed under the full control of the government and not franchised by private entities since revenues coming from the game could be used to fund the PCSO’s charitable projects.

“This game can easily bring in P50- to P60-billion in revenues which PCSO can use to pursue its primary mandate as government’s charity arm. I’m just wondering why the PCSO board, even before I was appointed chairman, allowed and continues to allow private STL operators to make a killing while the government is left with crumbs,” Maliksi added.

According to Jennifer Castro, president of FATE, Maliksi has issued the moratorium without prior approval from the PCSO’s board of directors which includes the agency’s general manager, Jose Ferdinand Rojas II.

Maliksi and Rojas have been in a cold war at the government’s charitable office in the previous months after the latter accused the PCSO chair of granting special favors to selected people; including renowned gambling lord Atong Ang and Maliksi’s personal driver Celestino Aman.

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