The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) reported on Thursday that its sales reached a massive PHP1.23 billion from Nov. 1 to 14, or an average of PHP87.6 million per day.
It also reached another milestone as the sales of lottery tickets amounted to PHP104.87 million on Nov. 14, the highest daily sales recorded since the PCSO migrated to the Philippine Lottery System (PLS) on Oct. 1.
PCSO General Manager Melquiades Robles thanked the public for their continuing support and participation in PCSO-sanctioned games, particularly the lottery games.
He emphasized that the huge sales would not have been possible without the people’s enduring trust and loyalty.
“We are delighted that more people are patronizing our games. It only proves that the public fully trusts the PCSO even as we continue to innovate and make our games more transparent and credible,” Robles said.
PCSO’s migration to PLS has resulted in vastly improved efficiency and transparency as it centralizes sales reports, enables real-time id
entification of lotto winners, and provides more accessible ticket validation.
On Oct. 30, the PCSO set the starting jackpot prize of all its jackpot-bearing games to a whopping PHP89 million to mark its 89th anniversary, dubbed as ‘Anniversaregalo,’ a way of giving back to lotto patrons.
“We continue to explore more ways to make our gaming products enticing, making them even more accessible and convenient to everyone. The agency seeks opportunities to expand its reach and prioritize customer satisfaction,” Robles said.
He noted that transparency, integrity, and responsibility are the core principles of PCSO, which help maintain the Filipino people’s trust and confidence.
The funds from lotto sales enable the PCSO to implement various initiatives that benefit communities, such as medical assistance, health programs, education, disaster relief, and other charitable endeavors.
Meanwhile, Robles expressed confidence that the PCSO would exceed its revenue target this year.
Based on third-quarter data, the P
CSO’s revenue sales currently stand at PHP44.9 billion, rapidly approaching the target annual sale of PHP53.25 billion.
Robles reminded the public to play responsibly while underscoring that their primary objective remains to support charitable undertakings while providing thrilling entertainment through its lotto games.
More funds for UHC
Meanwhile, PCSO Chairman Junie E. Cua vowed the agency would strive to gain more revenues to increase its contribution to Universal Health Care (UHC) funds, following President Ferdinand Marcos R. Jr.’s recent approval for the creation of a coordinating council for the UHC law.
“Our rallying cry is to continue to strive for more revenue so we can help more Filipinos through our contribution to the UHC,” Cua said in a statement, as he highlighted the agency’s advocacy of boosting funds for the government’s social programs, especially on health.
PCSO is one of the fund sources for the implementation of the UHC law, with 40 percent of its ‘net Charity Fund’ to be allocate
d to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for the UHC this year.
Cua has earlier said the agency is projecting an estimated PHP1.25 billion in contributions to PhilHealth for the whole year. Last month, the PCSO turned over PHP471.5 million to PhilHealth for its contribution for the third quarter of 2023.
From October 2019 to December 2022, the PCSO released a total of PHP2.7 billion as its contribution to the UHC Act.
Cua expressed his full support for the creation of a coordinating council for the UHC law, saying such a body would help ensure the law is being implemented properly.
“The coordinating council will be helpful in assessing the UHC law’s effectiveness, which gaps need to be addressed, and which strengths can be replicated. Amid the various barriers that have been identified in the implementation of the UHC, the council could provide a strategy that ensures the system is working well,” he said.
Under the UHC Act, the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of the Interi
or and Local Government (DILG), PhilHealth and LGUs will endeavor to integrate healthcare into province and city-wide healthcare systems.
“Mahalaga ang (It is important to maintain) constant communication and close coordination sa pagitan ng (between the) national government at (and) LGUs. What we want is to achieve the right balance between standardized policies and the individual context of each LGU,” Cua said.
Source: Philippines News agency
