The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is mandated by law to contribute to approximately 14 government agencies and programs, including PhilHealth, the Commission on Higher Education, the Philippine Sports Commission, the Dangerous Drugs Board, and the Department of Energy.
And on top of all of these mandatory contributions, the PCSO still pays taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue and remits dividends to the national government, its general manager Melquiades “Mel” Robles said Saturday.
Robles disclosed the scope of PCSO’s mandatory contributions in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday on September 19, responding to a question about how the agency funds so many different programs simultaneously.
The PCSO general manager said the single largest mandatory contribution is to the Universal Health Care program under PhilHealth: 40% of PCSO’s charity fund is automatically remitted to PhilHealth, meaning that nearly half of every peso PCSO earns from its gaming operations goes directly to the national health insurance system.
“About 30% po ang charity fund ng PCSO. Of the 30%, 40% goes automatically po ‘yun sa Universal Health Care,” Robles said.
He said the contributions extend far beyond health: PCSO funds go to CHED for higher education subsidies, the Philippine Sports Commission for athlete support, the Dangerous Drugs Board for drug prevention programs, the Department of Energy for rural electrification, the Boy Scouts, and the Girl Scouts, among others.
Robles said the breadth of the agency’s contributions means PCSO is in effect a silent co-funder of the programs that ordinary Filipinos interact with across multiple government agencies — and that when PhilHealth helps a patient, when a scholar receives a tuition subsidy, or when the lights reach a remote barangay, part of the funding behind those services traces back to PCSO.
He said the agency pays a documentary stamp tax the moment a ticket is purchased, and a tax on winnings the moment a prize is claimed, meaning PCSO generates tax revenue at both ends of the transaction.
“Dito lang po sa PCSO hindi libre mangarap, nangangarap ka pa lang may bayad na, may buwis ka na,” Robles said.
