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| President Rodrigo Duterte (ctto) |
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday ordered all gaming activities
operated by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), which includes lotto,
shutdown due to alleged “massive corruption” in the said agency.
The President, in a video posted by Malacanang on Facebook, lamented
on how courts even allegedly got involved in corruption by issuing injunctions
to stop the government from going after the masterminds of fraud
activities.
Below is the complete statement of the President:
“Sa mga kababayan ko, magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.
I have today ordered the closure, the stoppage of all gaming
schemes sa... whatever nature, however done, that got the franchises to do from
the PCSO. The ground is massive corruption involving all, pati the courts who
repeatedly issued injunctions to paralyze government and to allow corruption to
thrive.
Pending investigation, lahat ho ng laro ng lotto, STL,
peryahan ng bayan, or whatever nature, there's one that yung gambling machine,
Keno, I said all gaming activities. Yung gambling, that got the franchise from
government through PCSO, are, as of today, suspended or terminated because of
massive corruption.
Wala ako magawa. I have to do it. I will not honor
transactions that are clearly on the side of, you know, scheming people,
Republic of the Philippines, of the money due it. Puro dayaan lahat. At yung
mga kontrata ay parang crafted in favor of corruption and to favor other
corporations and people. I will not allow it.
As of today, I will not honor any, any order from any court
stopping us or enjoin us to stop our desire to go into a massive investigation
for the massive corruption that is existing in the PCSO.
Hinto lahat. That's my order.
Irrespective of the, yung mga sinabi ko na na court order
enjoining everybody to stop or not to do or what not to do, especially
government. Hindi ako papayag ng ganoon. And I said I will not honor anything
there. Everybody has to stop. And I am ordering General Albayalde and the
military to stop all these government-granted games which involves corruption.
Lahat. Massive corruption.
I repeat, I am ordering the military and the police to stop
all gaming--Lotto, STL, Peryahan ng Bayan, pati those machines that can be
found anymore which is actually gambling.
If I were to give my sentiment about gambling, mas gusto ko
mawala ito lahat. Kung meron naman, I will, maybe, confer with leaders of
Congress muna.
I am... the order is grounded on the preservation of the
resources of the nation.
Additionally, the information is given to everybody that
since as of this moment, beginning now, the franchises and licenses of whatever
kind or nature granted by the PCSO as in to all gambling schemes---Lotto, Peryahan
ng Bayan, STL, and those machines there that can be found anywhere. I will give
them 24 hours to remove them from the public places. Tomorrow, beginning
tomorrow at sunrise, everything, all transactions and gaming, wager of bets,
becomes illegal.
And as I said, I am ordering the PNP, PNP Chief Albayalde,
to arrest anybody, and goes also for the military, si Madrigal, to arrest
people engaged in gambling activities in connection with the franchises,
licenses, concessions granted by the PCSO.
So it becomes illegal because as of today, all of those
permits and concessions or whatever are terminated.
Talagang hiningi ninyo. Sinabi ko na nga walang corruption.
Hinihingi talaga ninyo, ibigay ko sa inyo. You've offered something to tie the
people, allowing gambling and maybe it can help in the economic activity
because money goes around. But if you fuck government, that's something else.
Talagang kayo ang nanghingi. Ibibigay ko sa inyo.
Thank you for listening.”
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