Solon wants PAGCOR to support PSC, CHED amid halt on PCSO gaming ops

A House resolution has been filed seeking to authorize President Rodrigo Duterte to direct the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to provide funding support to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

AKO BICOL party-list Representative Alfredo Garbin filed the resolution in a bid to minimize the effects of Duterte's order to halt the gaming operations of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on these agencies.

In House Resolution 147, Garbin pointed out that the PCSO is mandated by law to financially support the PSC "in the amount representing the charity fund of the proceeds of six sweepstakes or lottery draws per annum."

At the same time, the PCSO is also tasked to augment the funding of CHED "in annual amounts the equivalent of one percent of the gross sales of its lotto operations."

"It is urgently necessary that the operations of the programs and projects of the PSC and CHED proceed unhampered, considering that preparations for this year’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games are underway and the collegiate academic year got underway last June for most higher education institutions and will commence in the month of August for other universities and colleges," the resolution read.

"Now be it resolved... that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is authorized to order, in writing, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation to further augment the funding of the PSC and CHED," it added.

Apart from this, the resolution also urges PAGCOR to determine with the PSC, CHED, the Department of Budget and Management, and the Department of Finance the exact amounts of funding needed for augmentation.

Furthermore, the resolution authorizes Duterte to determine and make remedies available for the financial impact of funding shortfall from the PCSO by issuing necessary measures and directives.

Duterte has ordered a halt in all gaming operations with franchises, licenses or permits granted by the PCSO, citing "massive" corruption.

Since the order took effect on Saturday, the Philippine National Police has served closure notices to more than 5,000 lotto, small town lottery (STL), Peryahan ng Bayan (PNB) and keno outlets.

More than 5,000 lotto outlets, 13,000 STL outlets, 2,000 PNB outlets, and 400 keno outlets have also been closed down.

The PCSO, however, said that its charity work will continue despite Duterte's order. — BM, GMA News