SENATOR Idol Raffy Tulfo has expressed dismay over the reported failure of Small Town Lottery (STL) operators to provide “kabos” (chief collector) with proper benefits as mandated by the law.
During the Committee on Games and Amusement Organizational Meeting & Public Hearing presided by Vice Chairperson Tulfo on Wednesday, he lamented that kabos are not getting government-mandated work benefits, including SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-ibig.
“I talked to several kabos from different provinces, at wala daw po silang natatanggap na benepisyo. Masakit po sa kalooban ko, bilang pro-manggagawa, na ipinagkakait po ng STL operators, who are making billions of pesos every month, ang benepisyo na para sana sa kanila,” he said.
During the hearing, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chair Junie Cua failed to provide proof of remittances showing that STL operators contributed to SSS, PhilHealth, and Pag-ibig on behalf of the kabos employed under them.
Aside from the issue on benefits, Tulfo also bewailed the unjust bidding process of STL operators, which essentially allows losing bidders to join another round of bidding despite an initial loss. This scheme effectively gives losing bidders the right to match the original proponent chosen and does not guarantee that the most advantageous contract is entered into in STL Franchise Operators.
The current scheme, Tulfo said, reeks of corruption because it only favors a bigtime, influential and powerful gambling lord who has cornered most franchises to operate STL in different parts of the country.
Notably, some unscrupulous PCSO officials are favoring an influential gambling lord to secure wins during public biddings of STL in exchange of goodwill money and regular under-the-table pay.
Instead of going to the pockets of corrupt individuals, Tulfo said the gambling revenues could have been spent for social services that would benefit the poor and other Filipinos needing assistance.
Tulfo then manifested plans to legislate amendments to the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Law removing STL and other gambling activities from being subject to Unsolicited Proposals which makes this current scheme possible.
Tulfo stressed that the bidding should be closed once a winning bidder has already been declared, saying, “dapat, ‘pag nanalo na, nanalo na. ‘Pag natalo na, natalo na. Ganon po talaga ang essence of bidding. Kapag natalo ka na, better luck next time.”
The Senator from Isabela likewise flagged several problems on the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs), including the series of crimes linked to it and the anomalous contract with the firm tasked to audit it, among others.
Tulfo noted that Global ComRCI, the firm contracted by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to audit POGOs, does not appear competent enough to do the auditing task as the company has limited experience in the gambling industry.
Amid anomalies, he proposed to review the contract of PAGCOR with Global ComRCI, which is receiving roughly P500 million guaranteed pay a year.
“Maybe it’s about time na pag-aralan po natin itong kontrata with Global ComRCI, at kung pwede, ay alisin na po natin ito, kasi yung P500M na binabayad dito, ay napupunta lang po sa korapsyon,” he said.
“Imbes na napupunta sa bulsa ng iilan, sana mapunta na lang po sa kaban ng bayan at sa mahihirap at naghihikahos nating mga kababayan itong P500M. Just imagine, ilang buhay na ng mga mahihirap at kapus-palad nating mga kababayan ang madudugtungan lalo na yung mga nangangailangan ng chemoteraphy, kidney dialysis at surgeries; ilang maintenance medicine para sa mga senior citizens na ang mabibili; at ilang ambulansiya na ang mapoprovide, sa halagang ito,” he said.
Global ComRCI appears to be a consortium between three other companies, one of which is performing large-scale printing and is reportedly owned by a powerful personality who has a connection to PAGCOR. These companies have little to no social media presence and its website is not accessible to the public.
Tulfo maintained that PCSO and PAGCOR should take care of their revenues to ensure that the government and the Filipino people are the ones benefitting from it and not the gambling lords alone.
“You guys are in the business of legalizing gambling to generate revenues for the state. And in doing so, you are causing the proliferation of a bad habit. Gambling is a vice. And vice is a bad habit. And if it becomes excessive, it turns into an addiction,” he said.
“At ‘pag naging adik na po ang isang sugarol, nandiyan na po yung napapabayaan na niya yung kanyang sarili, yung kanyang pamilya, yung kanyang trabaho. Minsan, he gets involved in criminal activities para matustusan ang kanyang pagsusugal.
“There are times na nadedepress siya, hanggang sa magpakamatay. Siyempre, pag naapektuhan siya, apektado din ang kanyang pamilya. Now, why am I saying this? To remind PCSO and PAGCOR na alagaan niyo po ‘yung pera na pumapasok po sa ahensya niyo because these are considered blood money,” he added.
As part of corporate social responsibility, Tulfo said PCSO and PAGCOR should allot some of their revenues in building crisis centers and rehabilitation centers to help people with gambling addiction.
