LEGAZPI CITY –- The Committee on Games and Amusements of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Albay (SPA), chaired by Board Member Harold Imperial, will invite top officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to explain why they had granted a franchise to operate Small Town Lottery (STL) to the Pilipinas Pacific Rim Corp. although STL operation was not stipulated in its articles of incorporation.

        This issue cropped up when Vice Gov. Brando Sael read before the body the Articles of Incorporation of PPRC which did not stipulate STL operation as its business activity.

        Among those present in the committee meeting held last Tuesday at the Governor’s Office were representatives of PPRC, a local PCSO representative, Board Member Ostiano Calleja and S/Supt. Herold Ubalde, police provincial director of Albay.

        “We called for a meeting in the Office of the Governor to discuss matters regarding the operation of STL because STL is allegedly used as a front for the operation of jueteng, the illegal numbers game,” Imperial said.

        The SP members, especially the newly-elected ones, wanted to know if the PPRC had followed the rules and regulation in the conduct of STL operation in the province, Imperial said.

        Imperial, a reelected board member, said that the only participation of the SP in the granting of the franchise to PPRC was to recommend it to the PCSO. “Actually, the PCSO Central Office has the final say on the granting of authority to operate STL to PPRC in Albay,” he revealed.

        On the failure of PPRC to remit the provincial share on time, Imperial said the corporation had remitted to the provincial coffers last Aug. 7 almost P600,000. Yesterday, Aug. 8, PPRC had committed to remit the provincial share amounting to almost P1.3 million for the months of June and July. The P600,000 was the provincial government’s share for the month of May 2007.

        Imperial explained that the increase in provincial shares was due to the increase in revenues of the STL operation. Of the three cities and 15 municipalities in Albay, only the towns of Jovellar and Manito have no STL operation, Imperial said.

        For his part, Col. Ubalde pointed out that the National Police Commission (Napolcom) had issued guidelines to the police which provide that “the police can’t effect operation against illegal STL operation of the PCSO, LGU or any NGO will not complain or if the police officers do not see actual violation of the law.”

        “We will not allow STL to be used as a front for jueteng,” Ubalde said.