Senator Raffy Tulfo is set to investigate the legitimacy of all lotto jackpot winners during the continuation of the Senate hearing of the Committee on Ways and Means involving the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on January 25, Thursday.
It can be recalled that PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles admitted in a Senate inquiry recently that the viral photo of a P43-million lotto jackpot winner was poorly edited.
Robles claimed that it was edited to conceal the identity of the winner which raised doubts and suspicions from the public.
Tulfo also wants to study the possibility of banning PCSO from adding jackpot money from their prize fund reserve for their lottery games.
Notably, in the same hearing, Robles also admitted that last December, for example, the PCSO increased the jackpot money of all lotto games.
PCSO added P100 million each in 6/42 and 6/45 while half a billion each in 6/49, 6/55 and 6/58 from their prize fund reserve.
The legislator said this means that the total amount transferred from the prize fund reserve to jackpot money for said lottery games reached P1.7 billion.
“Ang P1.7 billion ay savings na sana ito ng PCSO na pwede nang gamitin para sa mga charity project nila.”
“Dito makikita na gumagawa ang PCSO ng kahina-hinalang sistema na kalaunan ay maaring ika-bankrupt ng lotto dahil ang P1.7 billion ay savings na sana ito ng PCSO na pwede nang gamitin para sa mga charity project nila,” the lawmaker pointed out.
“Ang bilyong halaga na ito na winaldas ng PCSO ay kaya na sanang magpagamot ng libo-libong mga pasyente at naipambili na rin sana ng daan-daang ambulansya, wheelchairs, medisina etc,” the senator added.
“Nakakalungkot na ang P1.7 billion na ito ay napunta lamang sa iilang tao.”
He further stated: “Nakakalungkot na ang P1.7 billion na ito ay napunta lamang sa iilang tao. Kuwestiyonable pa ang mga taong nanalo sa jackpot na ito tulad ng hinala ng mga netizen.”
