PCSO execs charged for defying court orders

MANILA, Philippines — Gaming technology firm Globaltech Mobile Online Corp. (Globaltech) has filed indirect contempt charges against officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) for defying court decisions allowing its Peryahan ng Bayan (PnB) games to continue.

Globaltech legal counsel Bernard Vitriolo revealed yesterday that they have filed charges against PCSO officials led by chairman Anselmo Simeon Pinili before the Pasig City regional trial court.

The firm asked the RTC to penalize the PCSO officials for defying the Pasig RTC Branch 161’s status quo ante (SQA) order issued in May 2016 allowing the PnB games to proceed pending resolution of the dispute involving the termination of the firm’s contract with the gaming regulator.

Vitriolo said the respondents have also defied the Court of Appeals (CA) Jan. 15 ruling that upheld the SQA issued by the RTC.

He told The STAR the PCSO, in a notice published last Monday, is “misrepresenting the facts” in the CA ruling to “stop us from providing the PCSO with a better alternative to the problematic   Small Town Lottery (STL) program.”

Vitriolo warned that they would file criminal and administrative cases against PCSO officials and law enforcers who would arrest their agents in PnB outlets nationwide.

Globaltech said they have received information that small town lottery operators have been pushing the NBI and PNP to conduct police operations to harass Globaltech as it sets up operations in the provinces, particularly in Dagupan City in Pangasinan and Mandaue City in Cebu.