PCSO officials face complaint over equipment lease deals

MANILA, Philippines – Several officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), including current chairman Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi, are facing a complaint over the alleged anomalous extension of equipment lease agreements granted by the PCSO.

The Anti-Trapo Movement of the Philippines (ATM) filed a complaint with the Ombudsman against Maliksi and 7 others for violating several provisions of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

Named respondents in the complaint were Maliksi, former PCSO chairperson Margie Juico, general manager Ferdinand Rojas II, assistant general manager Conrado Zabella, and board members Betty Nantes, Mabel Mamba, Francisco Joaquin III, and Florencio Gabriel Noel.

ATM chairman Leon Peralta said the PCSO officials committed violations by granting extensions to the equipment lease agreements of the Philippine Gaming & Management Corporation and Pacific Online Systems Corporation.

The lease agreements with the two companies expired in March 2015 and August 2015, respectively.

ATM questioned the move of the PCSO’s audit board to extend the agreements without public bidding.

Peralta said that in extending the contracts, the PCSO committed acts “designed to make the procurement, by purchase or lease, process for the lottery terminals manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the government whether or not the public officer profited.”

He added: “This, in turn, is economic sabotage. Thus if the contract was already amended and/or extended, the question is who amended it and how was a grossly advantageous contract amended.” – Rappler.com