MANILA, Philippines - House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman denied Monday receiving any ambulance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

In a statement, the congressman said he has not requested nor received any ambulance from the PCSO for his personal or exclusive official use as a Representative of the First District of Albay.
 
 "I have no PCSO ambulance for my personal or official disposal. The report of the PCSO which includes my name as among the 29 Members of the House of Representatives who got PCSO ambulances is completely wrong and baseless," he said.

Lagman said he has not emblazoned any PCSO ambulance with his image or name or used it for non-medical purposes.

"Either somebody must have used my name or the PCSO has erroneous records," he said.

The congressman challenged PCSO management to produce any document which evidences his having received a PCSO ambulance. "The PCSO leadership must make the necessary public rectification to correct the false report," he said.

A Philippine Daily Inquirer report on Monday said a total of 314 ambulances, costing P1 million each, were given to congressmen and governors allied with former President Arroyo. Among those who received the ambulances were:

Diosdado “Dato” Macapagal-Arroyo of Camarines Sur
Danilo Suarez of Quezon,
Anthony Miranda of Isabela,
Prospero Nograles of Davao City,
Roger Mercado of Southern Leyte,
Junie Cua of Quirino,
Rachel Arenas of Pangasinan,
Faustino Dy III of Isabela,
Sally Enrile of Cagayan,
Ramon Antonio of Bataan,
Maria Victoria Sy Alvarado of Nueva Ecija,
Rodolfo Antonino of Nueva Ecija,
Monica Prieto Teodoro aof Tarlac
Reynaldo Catacutan of Tarlac,
Antonio Diaz of Zambales,
Edcel Lagman of Albay,
Florencio Miraflores of Aklan,
Exequiel Javier of Antique,
Rodriguez Dadivas of Capiz
Fredenil H. Castro of Capiz,
Roberto Cajes of Bohol,
Martin Romualdez of Leyte,
Reynaldo Uy of Samar,
Mayo Almario of Davao Oriental,
Lawrence Wacnang of Kalinga,
Solomon Chungalao of Ifugao,
Miles Roces of Manila,
Teodoro Locsin of Makati City, and
Jose Antonio F. Roxas of Pasay City.

'All politicians get PCSO help'

A member of the House minority bloc, meanwhile, said all politicians seek financial assistance from the PCSO, which is used to help defray the cost of hospitalization of indigent patients.

ZambalesRep. Maria Milagros "Mitos" Magsaysay said she sees nothing anomalous if these politicians that include senators, congressmen, governors, mayors and even Cabinet officials request financial assistance from PCSO because indigent patients are the ones who benefit.

“The PCSO is there to help facilitate the requests, nothing wrong with that as that is part of PCSO mandate to help the poor,” said Magsaysay in reaction to reports that the Senate blue-ribbon committee will investigate claims that PCSO funds were used to bribe several people in exchange for supporting former President Gloria Arroyo, now the representative of the Second District of Pampanga.

But Magsaysay said legislators never received cash from PCSO because the assistance is given directly to the hospitals of the beneficiaries. Some, she added, are in form of hospital equipment.

Nevertheless, Magsaysay said the legislators who received lump sum funds as mentioned in the exposé, should just explain their side before the issue is blown out of proportion or some quarters exploit and use it for propaganda purposes.

The Senate is set to open this week a separate inquiry into the alleged misuse of PCSO funds involving hundreds of millions of pesos said to have been disbursed to favored beneficiaries during the previous administration.

“I think the Senate blue-ribbon committee has sent out the invitations [to PCSO officials concerned]. The hearing will be held on Wednesday,” Sen. Panfilo Lacson earlier told reporters.

Lacson disclosed that Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, blue-ribbon committee chairman, is already in possession of documents “showing several anomalous transactions that involved the PCSO and some personalities that were not intended beneficiaries of the PCSO.”

He indicated that the alleged anomaly involved “a big amount” but he declined to give specifics, saying these would come out when Senate investigators grill PCSO officials at the hearing.

He hinted that some of those implicated include public, as well as private personalities who would eventually be summoned to give their side at the subsequent hearings. “May government officials, may hindi government officials, may personalities na nababanggit. But then, we cannot reveal the names, as of now, kasi kailangan i-certify pa.”

Lacson explained that the documents obtained by the Senate still need to be further validated by the PCSO and the Commission on Audit (COA).

“Halimbawa, may mga bishops na nakatanggap ng Pajero or whatever, pero hindi naman puwede sabihin ang pangalan unless COA or PCSO ang magsabi na authentic ang document, ang mga board resolution nila na nagbibigay ng ganoong biyaya o regalo o sabihin nating suhol sa mga taong hindi dapat tumatanggap ng biyaya from PCSO. Ang PCSO hindi ba charity?

He said some documents also listed “several congressmen” as recipients of PCSO largesse, including cash “assistance.”

Lacson confided that “one lone district, for example, managed to receive [P55 million] and the date of the board resolution covered the election period. Ang natandaan ko June 21, 2010. So katatapos ng election at hindi pa naka-take oath ang bagong Presidente.” With reports from Philippine Daily Inquirer and Business Mirror