MANILA, Philippines - A former chairman and board member of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) was put on the spot during a Senate inquiry over the use of his television program funded by the agency to campaign for a presidential candidate in the 2010 elections.
 
During the hearing of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Tuesday, Sen. Franklin Drilon played a clip of former PCSO board member Manoling Morato's now-defunct TV show "Dial M," where he and his co-host Maggie dela Riva wore campaign stickers of then administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro.
 
The episode was aired on May 5, 2010 or 5 days before the polls.
 
In the episode, Morato not only called on viewers to vote for Teodoro and his running mate, Edu Manzano, but also lashed at opposition figures like Sen. Francis Escudero and Teofisto Guingona III, who was then a senatorial candidate.

"Ang lamya pa magsalita. Pa-cute na naman," Morato was shown in the video as saying about Escudero.

"Si Chiz Escudero, nagtatapon like a drug addict ng mga papeles sa Kongreso," he added, referring to Escudero's days as a congressman when he was among those who pursued an impeachment complaint against former President Gloria Arroyo.

"Nagsalita na naman 'yang si TG something... Guingona. Kasinungalingan ng taong 'yon talaga," Morato also said.

"Masyado silang conceited. You should not sit them in the Senate." 

Drilon said it was a clear case of electioneering, citing the Omnibus Election Code, which states that using government funds, equipment, and other resources for an election campaign constitutes an election offense.
 
He added that Morato signed a board resolution releasing P5 million to replay "Dial M" episodes from NBN-4 to IBC-13.
 
In sum, Drilon said, more than P27 million from PCSO funds was spent to produce the program from 2005 to 2010.
 
"If you do not call that campaigning, I do not know what to call that," the senator told Morato. "You campaigned for the candidates of the administration. This is the kind of abuse of the funds of the charity sweepstakes that we now see."
 
Morato admitted that it was wrong for him to sign the board resolution for replaying "Dial M," but did not directly comment on the issue of electioneering. In a previous hearing, he had said he was free to say anything he wants in his program because he did not receive talent fees.
 
"The fact is you participated in that decision," Drilon said.
 
Near the end of the hearing, Morato apologized to Guingona and explained that "Dial M" was a comedy program. The senator accepted, saying the issue was nothing personal.
 
Leasing contracts
 
Senators also had a heated exchange with Morato regarding the PCSO's leasing contracts with three companies providing online lottery machines.
 
It was discovered that aside from the Philippine Gaming Management Corp (PGMC)-Berjaya, which won the PCSO's bidding in 1993, there are two other companies supplying machines for Visayas and Mindanao: GT-Tech Phils. Inc. and Tanjung Public Ltd.
 
Senators found it unusual that two other companies became suppliers even if they lost in the bidding.
 
"The PCSO disregarded the bidding and divided the pie," said Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.
 
"I did not do that … That was instructed to us by the Office of the President," answered Morato, referring to former President Fidel Ramos.
 
Morato explained that Ramos did not want a monopoly to happen, and so he instructed the PCSO to rent machines from other companies. But Enrile said what happened was that the 3 suppliers had formed a cartel.
 
Morato, for his part, reiterated that the orders all came from the former President.
 
"Are you saying that you are incompetent to testify here? That you are wasting the time of this committee?" said an already irked Enrile.
 
"Did you object  to the dictation from Malacañang," the senator added.
 
"No," Morato replied.
 
"Why not?"
 
"That is what I was told."
 
"Did you love your job so much that you cannot say no?"
 
"I did not want that job. I turned it down pero pinagalitan ako, tanggapin ko raw ang chairmanship," Morato said. "Lahat ng puwesto ko sa gobyerno ipinilit sa akin."
 
Morato added that he will never accept a government position ever again.