Lotto operator Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, or PCSO, vows to strive to build on its achievements to better serve the people through the crucial role it plays in various government endeavors.

PCSO was recognized recently by the Governance Commission for GOCCs as among the three most improved and best performing government-owned and controlled corporations.

"It is a great honor for the PCSO to be among the recognized, GOCC of the GCG. The agency faced so many challenges during the pandemic that's why I am happy that we were able to turn things around in the latter part of 2022. And 2023 is turning out to be a banner year and we do hope that this is only the start," PCSO chairperson Junie Cua said in a statement.

Public service as aspiration

"All our efforts are aimed at better serving our countrymen. The agency plays a huge role as a partner in the health sector, that's why we don't want to fail," he added. The PCSO provides various forms of assistance to Filipinos and other institutions, sourced from the charity fund which makes up 30 percent of the agency's revenues. It is also mandated to allocate 40 percent of its net charity fund to help subsidize universal healthcare in the country.

The Governance Awards are given to GOCCs for outstanding disclosure practices and performance ratings.

After a thorough validation by the GCG, the PCSO exceeded most of its targets set last year, particularly in gross revenue/sales, collection efficiency and budget utilization, which included the payment of 100 percent of the agency's mandatory contributions required by law to all recipient agencies, and the remittance of a total amount of P4.75 billion, among others. The PCSO has also shown a solid commitment to rationalizing the use of charity funds, improving process efficiency, maintaining ISO certification and ensuring the timely distribution of mandatory contributions.

The agency's score of 92.03 percent in 2022 is a huge leap of 35.73 percent compared to its 2021 score of 56.30 percent.

Cua said the recognition is a testament to the dedication and untiring energy of all PCSO officials and employees in serving the Filipino people.

"We could not have done this without the persistence and collective effort of PCSO employees throughout the whole country," he said.