Noong nakipagbuno ako sa high official ng PCSO

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Before President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered the closure of  Lotto, Small Town Lottery (STL), Peryahan ng Bayan, and Keno under the auspices of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, I blamed the high officials of the PCSO who hailed from Manila in a symposium in my province about their losses of billions of pesos this year from the betting public.

When I cited their incompetence at the expense of the indigents who depended on their social and medical needs, the crowd erupted into laughter and applause.

The guests, by the way, were several mayors in the province, lawyers from the provincial and city prosecutor offices, Philippine National Police led by Provincial Director Colonel Redrico Maranan, National Bureau of Investigation, officers from the Criminal Investigation Detection Group from the PNP, media, and other stakeholders.

My passionate exchanges with the lady lawyer of the PCSO, not the applause, are the highlights of this article tee - he!

An exciting, passionate, and heated forum about the existing illegal operation of Peryahan ng Bayan in Pangasinan. The symposium held at a restaurant in Calasiao, Pangasina were attended by PCSO's provincial and national officials, big brass of agent corporation Speed Game, Inc., PNP regional and provincial brass, team from the NBI, CIDG, mayors, and the over eager members of the Fourth Estate led by prolific media man Atong Remogat. Atong however was cut-off from his question because it was lunch time already.

Here is the transcript of my crossing of swords with the power –that- be who was accompanied by PCSO’s Corporate Counsel Wesley Barayuga:

 I’m Mortz Ortigoza, I’m a political columnist. I’ve been writing this brouhaha for a while. Na obserbahan ko from January to May (2019) ang collection ninyo (Small Town Lottery) ay bumagsak ng almost 32 percent versus the same period noong 2018.  

Then somebody here mentioned ang collection ng Pangasinan bumagsak din. The casualties here are the poor, the paupers! Ang nakita ko po dito, as a media man, there is a patent of negligence on the part of the PCSO because of the poor collection. Because you’re allowing Peryahan ng Bayan to operate in Pangasinan.

Why not request the PNP to launch raids against them. Kasi  last month there was a multi-pronged raids from the NBI nagsitakbuhan pa iyong mga taga Peryahan na may mga logo pa sila na taga PCSO. Ang sabi ko dapat kasuhan ng usurpation sila. They’re showing to the people that they are members of the PCSO.

Peryahan operation per se is illegal as what you mentioned. Ang nakikita ko dito the declines of the (PCSO) revenue here ito ay kasalanan ng PCSO.  Because you’re not leading the raids. Dapat aggressive kayo!

What will happen if the Authorized Agent Corporation (AAC) will file a case against you na derilection of duty a criminal act that you’re not doing your job?

Hindi ko alam kung tama itong observation ko: Itong pagbagsak ng collection natin, I knew P44 billion ito last year, 32 percent ang binagsak! Ang laki bilyon-bilyon iyan na pumunta lang sa Peryahan at jueteng.

So as a neutral kibitzer on this brouhaha, ulitin ko:

Are you in cahoots with the Peryahan or are you just utterly negligent? Please answer my question.

(Crowd laughing and applauding)

PCSO LADY LAWYER:  Sir writer bakit ka tumitingin sa kagawad ng PCSO, tinanong mo ba si mayor? Area ni mayor iyan, e! Sorry ha? Siyempre ang mga ina papasukin sa loob ng bahay si nanay at tatay nagpapaalam hindi kay PCSO! Sir, kung talagang iyan ang stand natin sir kaya tayo nandito we have to have a mindset na iisa lang. Hindi natin sinasabi si Globaltech na illegal, operation niya ang illegal! Not following the M.O.A kung sasabihin na ang PCSO ay may pagkukulang sir. Hindi natin ginusto na bumaba ang ating benta kasi tama ka, iyong social responsibility namin, the betting public, lahat ng Pilipino na nanganga ilangan ng medical na attention.  Sana naman sir sabihin din natin kay mamang pulis, tumatawa guguapo at gaganda, di ba nandiyan po sila nagbabantay.

(Crowd applaud)

Kung nakinig tayo sa Section 13 of Executive Order No. 13 pinaste ko po andoon. Kung sa area mo wala kang ginawa o nakipagsabwatan may huli po!

Sir, humihingi po kami ng tulong kaya andito po kami, the mayors, the representatives, the governor, the NBI, the police, and the STL nandito po tayo.

ME: Maam sasagutin ko po kayo. For me as a columnist ang may kasalanann diyan kayo!

 Kasi Kung si mayor ang pababayaan ninyo, baka kasabwat si mayor doon sa nagpapa jueteng sa lugar niya! Bakit pa kayo magpapaalam doon, dapat kayo ang nag li- lead because that’s your job!

We have this glaring figures bumagsak ng bilyon bilyong (peso) ang nawala. Kami sa media kayo ang sinisisi namin. Sabi ko sa AAC sampulan kayo na file ng kaso kayong mga taga PCSO.

BROADCASTER IKE PALINAR: Totoo iyan!

READ MY OTHER ARTICLE

STL Operator Blamed PCSO, Peryahan of Collection Shortfall

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too attotomortzmarcelo@gmail.com)