PCSO sets probe on STL chief slay

By Rhaydz B. Barcia LEGAZPI CITY --- A week after the bloody shoot out in front of Ayala Mall in this city involving the head of the Small Town Lottery operation in Albay, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has finally put its foot forward to to summon the Small Town Lottery (STL) operator in the province for an investigation of the case. “The PCSO interested to find out if the ambush on Alex Herman Alemania, chairman of Lucky V Prime Enterprises, an Authorized Agent Corporation (AAC) of the PCSO, had anything to do with STL in Albay,” Alexander Balutan, PCSO general manager said. Alemania died on Monday while being treated at the Albay Doctor’s Hospital for a bullet wound in the stomach, while his female companion is still being treated for the gunshot wounds she sustained from the assailants. “The summon is part of the investigation to know what is really the root of the incident. This also aims to settle whatever intra-corporate dispute they may have. If the dispute within Lucky V has something to do with this, the PCSO wants it to stop,” Balutan said. “The PCSO is not discounting any possibility that this has something to do with the internal disputes among its stakeholders, so we are now investigating the case,” he said. “If the result of the investigation shows that the ambush was due to the internal dispute, they have to settle it immediately or PCSO may be forced to take appropriate action against the corporation. It may lose its authorization,” Balutan pointed out. The PCSO official said that his office is very strict when it comes to internal disputes among its AACs and will not hesitate to revoke their contract if the dispute is not settled immediately as this would directly affect the operation of expanded STL in the province “If this continues, we will be forced to cancel its permit and hold another bidding to find another licensee,” Balutan said. “They have to comply with the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) to continue to operate the STL,” Balutan said.