Heads of 'under-performing' gov't agencies, corporations should also resign -- VACC
The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) said President Marcos’ call for voluntary resignation of Cabinet members should also cover the heads of “under-performing” government agencies and corporations.
In a statement issued on Friday, May 23, the VACC said the heads of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) such as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), the alleged trouble-ridden agencies like the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) “should step down and allow the President to realign government to fulfill its mandate to the people.”
“Bakit mga Cabinet Secretary lang ang pagbibitawin sa pwesto? Dapat kasama din ang mga pinuno ng ahensya tulad ng PCSO at PAGCOR na sinasayang ang kaban ng bayan sa mga gawain na walang totoong pakinabang sa mamamayang Pilipino (Why only Cabinet secretaries should resign? Heads of agencies like PCSO and PAGCOR which waste government funds without actual benefits to citizens should also resign),” VACC President Arsenio “Boy” Evangelista said.
Evangelista alleged that the PCSO has been involved in various issues like the reported corruption within the agency, questions on legitimacy of winners in lotteries, and the rigging of lottery results.
He also cited the killing of former PCSO board secretary Wesley Barayuga, who was shot to death in July 2020 as he was driving home from his office in Mandaluyong City, “which remains unresolved to this day.”
He pointed out that several lawmakers have called on the head of the PCSO to resign “for allowing online lotteries to proceed without explicit approval from President Marcos.”
“The VACC agrees with the solons’ previous statements that PCSO has failed to protect the young, especially children, from the agency’s e-lotto or online lotto project,” Evangelista stressed.
In the case of PAGCOR, the VACC criticized it “for allowing Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) to run rampant, especially under the tenure of its current chairman….”
It also claimed that several government officials “have been linked to facilitating deals for POGOs, which have also gained a reputation as online scam hubs that affect millions of Filipinos.”