Palace mum on Arroyo's alleged involvement in PCSO anomaly

Malacañang on Thursday refused to comment on the supposed involvement of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in anomalies involving Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds, saying it will just let justice takes its course. “If it happens that there’s evidence that links to the former President, then let justice be done through the evidence," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing. He said the purpose of the Senate inquiry is to show how funds of the PCSO, which were intended for charity, have been diverted to a favored few. “The Senate investigates in order to correct that impairment or that wrong," Lacierda said. With that, he said they expect the new PCSO management to come up or implement reforms in order to prevent similar incidents. He said they are still waiting for the recommendations of the PCSO. “Gauging from the revelations made by the PCSO, I think they will be more prudent in deciding request for assistance, that they will be going through requests with a fine-toothed comb and making sure that the purpose by which the request is sought is geared towards charitable purposes," he said. He said the present PCSO administration has implemented ambulance-mapping system to determine which areas already have the emergency vehicles and areas that should be provided with one. He said they will ask the PCSO to be more transparent with their dealings. He added that the present PCSO management under Margie Juico should be given a chance to prove that they can deliver the services, and use and disburse the funds properly toward the targeted beneficiaries. Lacierda also refused to comment on the bishops who requested and received sport utility vehicles (SUV) from the agency, saying they will just let the people decide on the matter, “Let the public decide on their conduct," he said. He, however, said that the situation might affect the faithful. “They should not be apprehensive about how government will treat them. They should be concerned about how the members of the Church will look at them. They are vanguards of morality, we look up to them." - KBK, GMA News