The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is in disarray from the struggle for power between general manager Alexander Balutan and director Sandra Cam.
Cam was fuming mad during her interview with Ted Failon over dzMM.
She spoke lengthily about the scam of skimming of profits in the Small-Town Lottery. STL is the new cover of jueteng the multi-billion underground gambling nationwide.
Cam started blowing the whistle on PCSO officials whom she claimed spent more than P10 million for an employees’ Christmas party held at the five-star Edsa Shangri-La Plaza Hotel. Balutan, a retired general, denied they had spent this much and said it was no more than P6 million. So P6 million for an office party is small for Balutan.
But why the posh Shangri-la Plaza Hotel? Balutan said most of the other venues were fully booked. Why then did PCSO officials not plan and book their event earlier? It shows planning is not in the vocabulary of the PCSO.
Cam conceded that her allegations of STL profit skimming would be hard to prove because there is no paper trail. She suggested, however, a lifestyle check on ranking PCSO officials.
“How can there be a paper trail when all the gambling lords’ payments are in cash?” said Cam.
Balutan claimed that PCSO revenues from STL earnings rose more than double. If so, Cam asked, why are the lines of indigent patients at the Philippine Heart Center and National Kidney and Transplant Institute getting longer? She pointed out that patients needing extreme medical aid are only getting P5,000. The amount is not even enough to cover transportation expense from the provinces, food and lodging in Manila.
Cam insinuated that perhaps the bulk of the STL earning is being paid out for public relations and advertising expenses. Which brings us to the question: Who is the official or non-official PR consultant of PCSO? I have heard of at least two names but I’m not at liberty yet to divulge who this high-profile PR personality is.
Following Cam’s lead, Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate sought a House investigation of PCSO disbursement of office funds. Zarate denounced PCSO officials for spending P6 million for the company’s Christmas party. And yet, not enough money is being allocated for indigent patients needing medical attention.
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said President Duterte is going to look into Cam’s allegations and if found to have basis will sack certain PCSO officials
With the pressure on the PCSO general manager, many are asking whether President Dutere will make him “alsa balutan” under the presidential policy of firing officials at the slightest whiff of corruption.
Duterte’s arch critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, said if that is the case then why was former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon who was linked to the P6-billion shabu shipment smuggled from China not completely barred from public office? Trillanes said he found it strange that President Duterte has appointed Faeldon as Deputy
Director of the Office of Civil Defense, an agency under the Department of National Defense. Faeldon is a retired army general.
Incidentally, whatever happened to Faeldon’s executive assistant Atty. Mandy Mercado Anderson? The beautiful and outspoken BOC official called Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez “an imbecile” for meddling in the case of Ilocos Norte officials summoned to a House hearing on tobacco revenues. Faeldon had a bitter exchange of words with Senator Ping Lacson during the Senate inquiry on the shabu shipment.
Faeldon, Lacson and Trillanes are all former military officers. Faeldon is currently detained at the Senate holding center on contempt charges. Will Lacson and Trillanes allow Presidential Security Guards or DND troops to take custody of Faeldon?