PCSO’s Robles: I’ll resign if lotto draws can be rigged

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Melquiades “Mel” Robles is offering to resign from his post if the allegations that the lotto games can be rigged are proven true.

The PCSO official stated this at The Mangahas Interviews as he defended the agency from allegations raised in the Senate.

“Hindi po maaaring magic-in, itataya ko po ang aking trabaho diyan. Kung pwede hong ma-rig ang aming games, bukas po magre-resign po ako. Ganyan po katindi ang paniniwala ko,” Robles said.

(It cannot be rigged. I will resign immediately if they can prove that our games can be rigged.)

During the interview with veteran journalist Malou Mangahas, Robles showed a certificate from the World Lottery Association (WLA) which states that the PCSO has earned Level 1 Certification and the Seal of Excellence.

“Ito po ang panlaban namin laban sa mga alegasyon na wala pong basehan kundi ang isang testimonya lang ng isang nag-aakusa,” Robles said.

(This is our proof from their baseless allegations.)

Among the issues that he addressed was the allegation raised by Senator Raffy Tulfo at a Senate hearing that there was a lotto outlet owner in Manila that “invested” P90 million in bet money to hit the P 640-million jackpot in one of the lotto games of PCSO.

Robles called this “fake news” and reiterated that a lotto game cannot be manipulated.

“Ang sinabi niya, ‘invest.’ Ay, mali ‘yon! Walang nag-iinvest sa PCSO. Malaking misinformation po ‘yon. Hindi po siya nasabihan. Wala hong pwedeng mag-invest sa PCSO dahil ito po ay isang korporasyon na pagmamay-ari po ng pamahalaan,” he said.

(If they will say ‘invest’ that is incorrect. No one is investing in PCSO. That is a big misinformation. No one can invest in PCSO because that is a corporation owned by the government.)

“Kung i-insist niya, ipipilit niya ‘yung nag-invest ay ‘yun fake news ho ‘yon. Hindi po totoo yon… Kung nama-magic, sabi mo P90 million, tatama, eh kung nama-magic ho ‘yan, hindi na ho kailangan ng P90 million, P20 lang ho,” he went on.

(If they will insist that he invested, that is fake news. That is not true. If it can be rigged, there is no need to pay P90 million, they only need to pay P20.)

He also took a swipe at Tulfo’s earlier claims that there were bettors who won multiple times in a year.

The most notable example that Tulfo bared was one person who reportedly won 37 times in 2023, whose winnings amounted to P8.325 million from three-digit lotto games. The person has allegedly won the same amount of P225,000 eight times in July, nine times in August, two times in September, four times in October, 10 times in November, and four times in December.

“‘Yung nakita ho nila, sabi nila, bakit [P225,000] lahat ang panalo? Kamangmangan na naman po ‘yan na ang dali sagutin kung tumawag lang ho. Ayun po ang problema, ‘yung kamangmangan ay ginagawang parang alam na alam. Eh kami ho ang nag-submit ng document,” Robles said.

To recall, the PCSO has submitted to the Senate committee on games and amusement, which investigates the integrity of lotto games, the list of winners of lotto draws from July 2023 to January 30,2024.

The probe is being led by Tulfo.

“The worst kind of skeptic na tatawagin ko [ay] ‘yung nagdududa pero hindi tumataya kasi ni hindi niya naiintindihan na talagang maraming tumataya araw-araw at marami ring nananalo araw-araw,” Robles said.

(The worst kind of skeptic are those who doubt the draws but never place a bet. They don’t understand that a lot of people place their bet everyday and win.)

In the same interview, Robles accused Philippine Online Lottery Agents Association Inc. (POLAAI) of “scamming” lotto bettors.

This, amid the reported closure of around 2,000 lotto outlets cross the country without notifying agents.

Robles explained that under this “scam,” some lotto operators are accepting the payment of bettors for their lotto tickets, but the bets were being cancelled in their system.

“Alam ninyo ang POLAAI sila ang unang nagreklamo nung tinigil namin ‘yung cancellation ng ticket… Akala mo pumasok ‘yung ticket, pero sa system namin, kacancel namin ‘yan. San napupunta ‘yung pera? Sa kanila,” Robles disclosed.

(POLAAI was the first to complain when we stopped the cancellation of tickets. You thought that the ticket was valid but in our system it was cancelled. So where did the money go, to them.)

“Nakita namin ‘yan, ‘yung scam. Kung merong scam dito, ‘yung mga grupong marereklamo,” he said, adding that in some outlets the amount of cancelled tickets is even bigger than the actual sales.

Robles said he can prove this allegation and they are eyeing the filing of charges against the involved individuals.

To recall, POLAAI was the group that raised concerns about the alleged abrupt closure of 2,000 lotto outlets.

Meanwhile, Robles said he believes that the reason behind his appointment as PCSO general manager was not because of him being the top individual contributor to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s presidential bid, but because of the latter’s trust and confidence in him.

“I think you cannot deny that I am a supporter and I am trusted. So, I think, ‘yun naman ang kailangan d’yan. You must have the trust kasi I cannot appoint myself kahit gustuhin ko man,” Robles said.

“I think it’s safe to say that I am trusted by the President for giving me this job. I think, personally, I can deliver… I think the requirements are: you must have the confidence…pangalawa, is if I have the competence. Other than that is all speculation, but the fact is, I did donate pero marami din namang nag-donate, hindi naman na-apppoint e,” he said.

Asked why he chose to contribute P30 million for Marcos’ presidential bid, Robles said he believed that Marcos is a one of a kind politician who helped the people during the COVID-19 pandemic without fanfare.

According to Robles, he personally witnessed how Marcos and his wife, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, asked his friend to help them distribute COVID-19 kits all over the country even without getting credit.

“Meron pong pulitiko na ganyan. Hindi ba kayo tataya nang ganon? Sa akin, ibang klase hong politiko ‘yon. Tapos he’s been bashed, maligned sa lahat ng bagay… Nakita ko firsthand walang pulitikong gagawa niyan. So sabi ko, ito ang kailangang manalo. Trabaho talaga ito. Bihira ito, baka nga wala na tayong makita na ganito na talagang todo po lahat ng resources,” Robles said.

If not appointed to the PCSO, Robles said he would prefer an appointment at the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

“PAGCOR sana e. Well, wala kang kakausaping gambling lord dun e. Ang hirap po nito napakaraming moving parts,” he said.

For Robles, his current job is “more challenging” than his previous government positions, like being the former Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) administrator, because running the PCSO would cover the management of the charity component, the lotto games, and the Small Town Lottery.

Robles was appointed to the PCSO last July 2022 or months after the May 2022 presidential elections.—AOL, GMA Integrated News