Duterte lifts suspension on STL operations, says PCSO

President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted the suspension on the operations of Small Town Lottery (STL) in the country, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Royina Garma said on Thursday.

"We are happy to announce that pursuant to the recommendation of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the President lifted the suspension of the operations of STL," Garma announced on Facebook live.

She said that authorized agent corporations (AACs) that are compliant with the conditions of their STL agency agreement and have been remitting their guaranteed minimum monthly retail receipts may operate, provided that they comply with the following conditions:

• The AACs shall deposit with the PCSO a cash bond equivalent to three months of the PCSO’s share in the Guaranteed Minimum Monthly Retail Receipts (GMMRR) on top of their existing cash bonds.
• Upon failure to timely and fully remit their GMMRR during the duration of operations, the AACs' cash bond equivalent to three months of the PCSO’s share in the GMMRR shall be automatically forfeited in favor of PCSO, without prejudice to the other remedies that may be exercised by the government.
• Each AAC shall execute a written undertaking that it shall comply with its obligations under the STL agency agreement and will not institute any claims, monetary or otherwise, against the government, and/or apply for a temporary restraining order or injunction from any court to prevent the government from exercising its rights and prerogatives.
• The STL agency agreement shall automatically be terminated upon violation of the conditions of their franchise and/or any of the above conditions without prejudice to the other remedies that may be exercised by the government.

"Those compliant franchise holders will have to give three months' deposit; those non-compliant will have to pay their arrears. There will be a waiver from suits. Franchise holders cannot sue," presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

"The effectivity will be after the publication of the implementing rules and regulations," he added.

Duterte in July suspended all of PCSO's gaming operations with franchises, licenses or permits granted by the PCSO due to alleged corruption.

A few days later, he lifted the suspension of the PCSO's lotto game. —NB/BM, GMA News