THE Philippines Charity Sweepstakes office (PCSO) says it welcomes the probe by the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) on ranking officials outside the agency who were allegedly involved in corruption regarding the controversial small-town lottery (STL) program.
PCSO general manager Royina Garma says records of the PCSO are open to the PACC in order to assist in its effort to ferret out the truth and identify government officials who are allegedly engaging in irregularities connected to the STL.
“Records of the PCSO are open for investigation. We will cooperate with the PACC, because the PACC and PCSO are one with the President in ensuring that funds due to the government must be collected and should go to the intended beneficiaries,” Garma said in a statement.
She issued the statement in reaction to an earlier pronouncement made by PACC commissioner Manuelito Luna that their probe regarding the reported anomalies in the STL is not confined to PCSO officials alone but will also cover officials in other government agencies who are apparently implicated in the controversy.
According to Garma, it is “imperative to safeguard the revenues of the PCSO” since it has expressed its readiness and willingness to provide the necessary support funding for the rollout of the Universal Health Care (UHC) program, as well as the implementation of the Malasakit Centers initiative this coming year.
Garma said the PCSO is ready to provide its “100 percent” support for the implementation of the flagship social services programs of the Duterte administration.
According to Garma, out of the PCSO’s projected P52 billion revenues for 2020, about P3 billion will be earmarked for the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation regarding the UHC.
Aside from the UHC, Garma says the PCSO will also be funding the implementation of the Malasakit Centers Law, which was principally authored by Senator Christopher “Bong” Go.
Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a bill seeking to establish Malasakit Centers in all hospitals run by the Department of Health across the country – where there are over 55 Malasakit Centers nationwide.
Garma said the funding support for the UHC and Malasakit Centers will use up about 40 percent which was allocated by law for the PCSO’s charity projects.
However, she assured that the PCSO will still continue its Individual Medical Assistance Program, though in a smaller scale.
“Since we are giving a certain amount for UHC, there will be a limitation for the medical assistance program. It will focus on catastrophic (cases), like (chemotherapy) and dialysis,” Garma explained.
She said the PCSO will also continue its Institutional Partnership Program where it will provide financial support to charitable organizations like orphanages such as the Hospicio de San Jose.
She likewise assured that the PCSO will continue to distribute ambulances to the different local government units, where the agency is set to distribute about 300 medical transport vehicles soon.
The PCSO serves as the principal government agency for raising and providing support funds for health programs, medical assistance and services, and charities of national character. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
