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The complaint states that PCSO pays a private company a commission from its e-lottery revenues every week, even though this was allegedly not part of the agreement
MANILA, Philippines — Top officials of the Philippine Charity Lottery Office (PCSO), including General Manager Mel Robles, and executives of private firm Pacific Online Systems Corp. (POSC) are facing criminal charges of graft and embezzlement by the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged fraudulent activities related to the agency’s electronic lottery operations.
The complainant – the Philippine Peace, Justice and Progressive Movement (FPJPM), which calls itself an anti-corruption watchdog – claims that FPJPM takes a 14 percent commission from e-lottery revenues from the Philippine Gaming Corporation (PGL) to give to FPJPM, even though the private company initially provided online services to FPJPM “without charging a commission or even any fees to FPJPM.”
Who are the interviewees?
The respondents are:
- PCSO General Manager Roberts
- PCSO Board Chairman Felix Reyes
- Jennifer Liongson-Guevara, PCSO Board Member
- Janet de Leon Mercado, PCSO Board Member
- Willy Osier, Chairman of POSC
- Jackson Ongsip, President and CEO of POSC
- Raul de Mesa, POSC Board Director
- Tarcisio Medalla, Director of POSC
- Henry Osier, POSC Board Director
- POSC Board Director Armin Antonio Raquel Santos
FPJPM is represented in the lawsuit by its vice president, Richard Rillo.
What are the specifics of the accusation?
FPJPM claimed that state lottery officials “violated their oath as public servants to protect the interests of the government” when PCSO paid 14 percent commission every week to POSC.
It also accused POSC of agreeing to become a “conduit for graft and corruption,” adding that a 2023 opinion from the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) clearly stated that the private company “should not receive any commission from the sale and marketing of online gaming tickets during the trial run.”
FPJPM said the jackpot amounts for all five PCSO pottery games surged to P1.7 billion during the trial run of the e-lottery.
The complainants speculated that a group could have bet on all 13,983,816 possible combinations of the 6/49 Super Lotto and won at least P500 million by spending a total of P280 million (P20 per combination). – Rappler.com
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