THE government will investigate the loopholes in the operations of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s small-town lottery to stop the billions of pesos in revenues that is being lost, an official said Sunday.
Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the investigation on the non-payment or underpayment of taxes in STL operations nationwide and to run after those liable.
“Billions are lost by the government in these STL operations,” Aguirre told reporters.
He said Duterte also wanted to increase the government’s revenues from the STL after finding out that only 10 to 15 percent of the total revenues were being remitted to the PCSO during the previous administration.
“The President wants to increase the STL collection and make sure that everything collected will be remitted to the PCSO,” Aguirre said.
“He intends to use these STL proceeds to fund free medicines for our countrymen.”
Aguirre said he will tap the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the matter.
He said Duterte gave him the assignment on the STL months ago but it was delayed because he focused on the illegal online gaming operations following the raid on the casino of Chinese gaming mogul Jack Lam in Clark Field, Pampanga.
His assignment was further delayed by the controversy involving alleged P50-million extortion by Immigration officials on Lam for the release of 1,316 illegal Chinese workers arrested in Lam’s Fontana Leisure Park and Casino in November.
Aguirre said former police chief superintendent Wally Sombero, who supposedly served as Lam’s middleman, was a resource person of the Justice department on the STL issue.
He said a task force had already been created led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to look into the online gaming and STL operations in the country.
He said Medialdea had already met with PCSO officials over the issue.