File charges against ‘peryahan’ masterminds (Sabong News)

Why not file charges against the masterminds of the illegal   who continue to use with impunity the logo and name of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)? Surprisingly, as reported by some local media, those who engage in illegal activities are the ones with the audacity to file charges in court against the PCSO. Just last week, retired Marine Major Manuel Fraginal Sr.’s team headed to Bacolod City to stop the illegal operation of Globaltech Mobile Online Gaming Corp. Fraginal is the Executive Assistant VI of PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan’s office and also the Chief of the Inter-Branch Monitoring and Security. Fraginal’s team successfully closed down the operations of   draw court centers in Albay and Laguna in the previous weeks. Globaltech’s acting provincial coordinator in Bacolod was bold in filing a case against Fraginal. I still have no copy of the alleged charges, but some of its supposed contents have been published in local newspapers. According to Fraginal, the city police and the local governments are flippant in implementing President Duterte’s campaign to eliminate all kinds of illegal gambling in line with Executive Order 13 signed in February 2017. It appears that the local courts also act similarly toward the implementation of EO 13. For Fraginal, the   is tantamount to “economic sabotage” and disrespectful to the President in line with government’s goal to increase PCSO’s earnings from its Small Town Lottery (STL) so it can generate more funds for its charity works. PCSO has been helping millions of sick Filipinos, and the poor who are in need of financial assistance for medicine, hospitalization, dialysis treatments, chemotherapy treatments and more. The   such as jueteng,  ,  ,  and other kinds of illegal gambling are competitors of STL. People benefit greatly from STL, while only gambling lords and their protectors in the government are the only ones that benefit from  , jueteng and other illegal numbers game. Among those illegal gambling activities for the Bacolod local police are  or    and “ not the  . For the information of the public, PCSO officials have publicly stated time and time again that the   is a front for jueteng and other illegal gambling operations, such as  “color games” and others. In 2016 PCSO revoked Globaltech’s Deed of Authority to operate   because of its countless contract violations, especially its nonremittance of earnings to PCSO, which reportedly amounted to P100 million. In October 2017 a Pasig City court dismissed Globaltech’s Writ of Injunction. Apart from legal documents like the Board Resolution of PCSO terminating the right of Globaltech to operate, and the EO 13 of President Duterte, PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan has repeatedly issued warnings that Globaltech’s  and draw court centers are illegal. There is also Republic Act 9287, the law that condemns corrupt officials of the government that neglect their duties to cease illegal gambling, but involved personalities seem unfazed because, in Bacolod City, as reported by Fraginal, “their Globaltech Draw Court Center is just around a kilometer away from the Bacolod City Police Office.” In my perspective, PCSO has to personally present copies of said documents to Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde so he can directly order his local commanders, especially in Bacolod, Laguna, Albay, Cebu and other locations with  , to strictly implement the law. The actions to be undertaken by the legal department of PCSO regarding this matter are also of paramount importance.   E-mail:   .