The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office urges citizens to patronize their lotto draws to generate funds to send less fortunate Filipinos suffering from illnesses to medical institutions.
“The PCSO is giving out P10 million daily. Indeed, producing that amount of money to provide medical assistance to our kababayans is hard. But with the help of bettors, they make it easier for us. Bettors who do not win until now are winners in their little way. Their P20 has gone a long way in extending the lives of our less-fortunate ill citizens,” said Frederick Imson during his talk at the Daily Tribune’s Asian Innovation Forum last Tuesday, 9 May 2023, in Muntinlupa City.
Imson told the forum’s 180-plus attendees that betting P20 is not gambling their hard-earned money but “paying it forward to those needing it and helping the entire nation.”
Records from the PCSO showed that for the third quarter of 2022 alone, the PCSO generated P15.443 billion from its Lotto, Digit Games, Small Town Lottery and Instant Sweepstakes.
From January to September 2022, PCSO had already earned P41,367,914,762.90, an increase of 120 percent versus its year-to-date sales target of P34.58 billion and an 89.74 percent performance versus its annual sales target of P46.1 billion for 2022.
Under Section 6 of Republic Act 1169, otherwise known as the PCSO Charter, the net receipts (gross receipts less 2 percent printing cost) will be divided among three separate funds: The Prize Fund at 55 percent of the net receipts, the Charity Fund at 30 percent of the net receipts, and, the Operating Fund at 15 percent of the net receipts.
The Prize Fund accounts for 55 percent of the net receipts and is used to pay out prizes to holders and sellers of winning tickets.
Unclaimed prizes or balances in the Prize Fund revert to and become part of the Charity Fund after one year.
The Charity Fund, which is 30 percent of the net receipts, is used exclusively to finance and support health programs, medical assistance, services, and/or charities of national character.
While the Operating Fund accounts for 15 percent of net receipts and supports the PCSO’s day-to-day operating/maintenance and capital expenditures.
The Unutilized Operating Fund at the end of the fiscal year becomes part of the Charity Fund.
PCSO provides funds through its various charity and medical programs and services such as the Medical Access Program, Medical Access in Malasakit Centers Program, Calamity Assistance Program, Endowment Fund Program, Institutional Partnership Program, Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program, Medical and Dental Mission, Out-patient Services, and Medicine Donation Program, among others.
Last year, PCSO used funds from the savings of 2019 and previous years that were transferred to the Charity Fund to sustain the PCSO programs.
With these savings, PCSO could fund Medical Access in Malasakit Centers Program this year.
Lotto will be available soon on mobile phones
Meanwhile, Imson said the Philippine lottery would soon be played digitally, announcing that they are already in the works in making lotto betting more accessible to bettors using the lotto application on mobile phones.
“We will make the lotto tickets more accessible to (the public) because this year, the PCSO has (fully) embarked on digitalization, even though we are already fully online since 1997. We are now evolving into digitalization, so hopefully, within this year, bettors can buy lotto tickets using the PCSO phone app,” Imson said.
He said PCSO embarking on digitalization would bring the country’s lottery to the public to collect more funds to aid those Filipinos needing medical assistance.