CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – The Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO) is on a roll as it bannered its accomplishments in line with President Duterte’s universal health care (UHC) program.
PCSO general manager Alexander F. Balutan said from January to September this year, the government agency generated revenues of more than P38 billion from its major gaming products – Lotto, Keno, STL and Sweepstakes.
Balutan made the announcement during a dialogue with the provincial government and members of the media at the Benigno Aquino Hall here on Friday.
He said PCSO recorded an increase of almost P10 billion or 35 percent higher than the revenue earned for the same period last year on all of its gaming products.
The highest rate of increase is in the small town lottery (STL) at 178 percent or an increase of more than P6 billion, he said, attributing the hike to the new PCSO IRR which was implemented last year “when we entered the scene.”
Balutan said from only 16 Authorize Agent Corporations (AACs) in 2016, the number has now risen to 92 with 82 AACs already operating all over the country.
“Let us give him a round of applause,” he added.
Among those present were PNP regional director for intelligence and investigation Supt. Jean Fajardo who represented regional director Chief Supt. Amador Corpuz, deputy provincial director Supt. Angelito Esteban who represented provincial director Sr. Supt. Joel Consulta as well as 19 chiefs of police in Pampanga’s 19 municipalities.
PCSO general managers from all over the country, including provincial manager Maria Lourdes Soliman, were also present.
Balutan said originally, the dialogue is held in Manila but the PCSO decided to hold it in the provinces “to allow our local countrymen to know more about the good job of the PCSO.”
Last October, the same dialogue was held in Davao “so that our countrymen from Mindanao will know what programs have been implemented by the PCSO under the administration of President Duterte,” he said.
“So we are here in Pampanga to let the people in the province and other outlying provinces what we have accomplished in the PCSO in line with the universal health care coverage of President Duterte and the continuing campaign of the administration against illegal numbers game,” Balutan stressed.
“The PCSO hopes that with your help, we should be able to bring to every Filipino up to the remotest corners here in Luzon, what are the programs being implemented by the PCSO under the administration of President Duterte,” he added.
More jobs
Balutan said more jobs have been generated by the PCSO with a total of 268,159 individuals employed by STL from January to September this year as compared to 120,551 individuals employed in 2016.
The individuals employed in 2017 are 147,000 more or 122 percent higher that the number of individuals employed in 2016, he added.
These figures tell us that STL is not only a major source of income for the Duterte administration but also off ers a huge employment opportunity for our kababayans nationwide, he said.
“We hope that before the end of the year, all 92 AACs will all be fully operational which could further increase the employment generation to about 600,000,” he said.
“These are the cabos, cobradores, collectors, revisadors, runners etc. that benefit from the operation of STL,” he added.
Balutan said, these are mostly the sectors of society, who earn around P7,000 to P8,000 per month, that we can say will not pass requirements in job fairs because of lack of education, age requirement and with physical disabilities.
“These are also vulnerable to committing crimes so if we can give them jobs, we can also divert them from bad vices like drugs,” he said.
More PCSO branches
In our efforts to make PCSO services closer and accessible to the people, the PCSO has now 60 branches all over the county as it continues to open more branches so that the people seeking assistance from PCSO need not go to Manila to file their request, Balutan said.
“We have 81 provinces and about 20 chartered cities. Our dream is to have one branch for each province especially to the far away provinces or those far from urban centers especially in the Visayas and Mindanao where there are still people who have not been reached by hospitals,” he said.
Like STL, Lotto also provides business and employment opportunities to Filipinos for 2017 PCSO was able to provide business to 11,953 Filipnos through the PCSO Lotto and Keno agents it shows an increase of 9.16 percent or 1,005 higher than 2016
IMAP, the flagship program of PCSO, a total of 283,118 individuals were provided with financial assistance in the aggregate amount of almost P5.5 billion.
Medical and dental services were also conducted to as far as the Kalayan Islands in the Babuyan channel or 2,758 individuals benefitted with a corresponding amount of more than P171,000 which represents P62 per capital expense for each individual nowhere in the Philippines or any other country would an individual get medical and dental services with medicines for only P62 that is only in PCSO
Finally the out patients and consultation management services program benefitted 11,700 patients with corresponding cost of P343,116 this means with PCSO an individual can get consultation services and medicine at a cost of only P29.
IMAP PCSO allocates more than P21 million daily to answer to the different medical needs of Filipinos natinwide through our branches scattered across the country and the Lunch Center of the Philippines.
I’m happy to announce that the northern and central Luzon department that Pampanga has a daily allocation of P800,000.
Round of applause
IMAP beneficiaries as of Sept. 17 283,118 individuals were assisted by PCSO this is more than 69,727 compared to 213,391 individuals assiated by PCSO in 2016 32.68 percent higher compared to the previous year.
Under the IMAP is the ASP or at source processing as of Sept. 2017 a total of 46 hospitals nationaide have partnered with PCSO in implementing this program for only for only 34 in 2016 which measn ailing and sick individuals can go directly to the ASP desk and not to the PCSO branches because the partner hospitals will process their applications to avail pf the PCSO benefits.
As contributions to LGUs and law enforcement agencies January to Sept. 2017 more than P750,000,000 was released to different local and PNP representing tieir shatre in the STL revenue this amount is more than P251 million higher than the STL share released in 2016 or more than 50.32 percent higher.
Ambulance donation program is another notable program of the PCSO where LGUs health care facilities and government institutions may apply for ambulance units from PCSO from January to September 2017 a total of 215 units with an aggregate amount of P167,310,000 was released to various benefi ciaries across the country.
By the end of the year we will increase our ambulance program with another 80 units.
By next year we will upgrade the quality of our ambulances like those in Davao with EMS.
Aside from various charity programs PCSO is also mandated by law to provide assistance to LGUs and other selected government agencies and institutions.
For 2017 P810,306,952.95 released by PCSO as mandatory contributions to different government agencies and LGUs where Lotto are sold.
As PCSO’s contribution in nation building and in compliance with BIR policies rules and regulations PCSO paid the total amount P5,622,897,403 representing payment for various taxes.
Today PCSO is updated with its payment with BIR this is over and above the payment made by the new PCSO Board in the amount of P4 billion as settlement of tax arrears incurred in previous years.
In barely 12 months in office the new PCSO board contributed almost P10 billion to the government coffers under the Duterte administration.
