Duterte: I got top gambler Atong Ang to help clean up PCSO

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said that he urged gambling operator and consultant Charlie "Atong" Ang's help to clean up the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

"Ito si Atong, I was hearing, tinawag siya, tinawagan ko ‘yan siya. Sinabi ko, 'Atong, ikaw ang number one na gambler dito sa Davao. Hawak mo lahat. Huwag tayong magbolahan. Pumunta ka doon sa PCSO, hintuin mo ‘yang lahat ng illegal at tulungan mo ang gobyerno,'" he said during his departure statement at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, before leaving for New Delhi, India.

"That was the only reason why I called for Atong Ang. Tell him," he said.

The statement came as the Senate games and amusements committee conducted its hearing on the controversies in the PCSO.

Ang testified against PCSO general Alexander Balutan and former chair Jorge Corpuz who resigned over health reasons.

Duterte also revealed that a former president asked him "many years ago" to set up a jai alai in his bailiwick of Davao City where he served as mayor for over two decades.

"Sabi ko sa kanya, 'Kaibigan tayo. Huwag mong pilitin ‘yan. Mag-aaway lang tayo. Ayokong makipag-ano sa’yo pero kung pilitin ‘yan na Jai Alai sa Davao talagang magka...'" he said, refusing to name the president.

Ang on Wednesday told a Senate inquiry that Duterte sought his help to improve the PCSO particularly its small town lotterty (STL) operations.

At the Senate games and amusement committee hearing, Ang said he met Duterte on May 2016 after the latter won the presidency.

He said he informed Duterte of the problems confronting PCSO “out of concern” for the agency.

“Nagexplain ako na ang PCSO ginagawang front ng mga kalokohan. Pinapaliwanag ko sa kanya tapos pagkatapos nun, nung pinaliwanag ko, umuwi nako,” Ang recalled.

“Pagbalik ko ng Manila, after a few months, mga Septemer, tumawag sakin si Sandra Cam. Ang sabi niya, ‘Atong, si Secretary Bong Go tumawag sa’kin, dalhin daw kita kay Corpuz tsaka kay Balutan’,” Ang said.

“Bakit ako pupunta? Ang sagot ni Sandra Cam, para matulungan ang PCSO na tumaas ang revenue…Malinaw gusto ni Presidente na ayusin yun,” Ang said.

Cam is now a board member of the PCSO.

Alexander Balutan meanwhile is the general manager of the PCSO, while Jose Jorge Corpuz was the chairman until he resigned supposedly due to health reasons two weeks ago.

Ang said the meeting took place in September 2016.

He said he felt disrespected by both Balutan and Corpuz.

“Binastos ako ni Corpuz. Sinabi sakin ni Corpuz, ang sabi ko ‘I’m Charlie Atong Ang, consultant of Meridian. Sabi niya ‘consultant of what? Show me your ID’,” Ang recalled Corpuz as saying. “Si Balutan nakangiti lang,” he added.

“Sabi ko ‘heneral, hindi ako nagpunta dito para mag-apply sayo, sa STL mo’. Actually naipon na yan,” Ang said.

Balutan has earlier claimed that Ang offered to give P200 million monthly in exchange for allowing him to operate STL nationwide.

Ang however said he has no interest in operating STL.

“Umpisa pa lang, sinabi ko na illegal ang STL na yan. Ngayon, ito na kalokahan nung PCSO,” Ang said, adding that STL has been a front of jueteng operators.

“May jueteng pa rin ba? Ang jueteung, wala na pong jueteng kasi yung criminal nilagyan ng tsapa,” Ang said. —NB, GMA News