Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Melquiades Robles was recently elected as one of the members of the Executive Committee of the Asia Pacific Lottery Association (APLA), proving once again that he is one of the most respected and influential leaders in the world gaming industry.

GM Robles was named to the body during the 2024 APLA Regional Conference held in Hanoi, Vietnam last 25 September.

APLA is a membership body for lottery operators and suppliers in the region. It was formally established at the World Lottery Association Conference in Glasglow, Scotland in 2000.

It is the first regional lotteries association to represent the interests of the Asia Pacific region, with an APLA member nominated to sit on the World Lottery Association Executive Committee.

The new set of officers who will serve for two years until the next Annual General Assembly (AGM) on September 2026, includes chairman Michael Fitzsimons, from Hong Kong Jockey Club, while Lam Chee Weng of Singapore Pools was named vice chairman.

Aside from GM Robles who is the first Filipino to earn a seat in the body, the other members of APLA Executive Board include Kazuhisa Yamaguchi, president, Japan Lottery Association, and Kapil Khanna of Future Gaming & Hotel Services.

Also with them are Thierry Gabarret, CEO of La Pacifique Des Jeax and Jason Delamore, chief executive of Lotto New Zealand.

In an interview, Robles expressed his gratitude to his fellow delegates who have placed their trust on him by voting him to the executive committee.

“I am thankful because being named to this position meant that my fellow gaming leaders recognize and appreciate the initiatives that we have been implementing at PCSO,” he said.

“These reforms have resulted in more revenues for the agency, which we translated into more charity programs for the people especially the poor,” Robles added.

To recall, GM Robles was interviewed in June by Patrick Kinghorn from Pronet Gaming Asia, as a thought leader during the SiGMA Asia 2024 tour at SMX Manila.

During the interview, he discussed the impact of tax cuts on gaming winners in the Philippines, tax adjustments, social implications, gaming regulations, and the PCSO’s strategic plan to expand its traditional lottery operations into the online gaming space.

Under his efficient and prudent leadership, the PCSO has been steadily enhancing access to quality healthcare services and providing other necessary assistance for tens of thousands of poor Filipinos.

The agency has already released P6.7 billion from July 2022 to July 2024 as mandatory contribution to various agencies of the government.

Also, the PCSO has remitted P5.4 billion for the Universal Health Care of PhilHealth, and another P627.8 million for the Commission on Higher Education.

During the same two-year period, the PCSO likewise released P576.2 million to various local government units as their share for the operation of lotto in their respective areas.

The PCSO has also intensified its corporate social responsibility program to better serve the people, especially those that were affected by natural calamities and disasters like typhoons and earthquakes.