Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Melquiades Robles was elected as one of the members of the executive committee of the Asia Pacific Lottery Association (APLA).
In a statement on Wednesday, the PCSO said Robles was named to the body during the 2024 APLA Regional Conference held in Hanoi, Vietnam from Sept. 2 to 5.
“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. These reforms have resulted in more revenues for the agency, which we translated into more charity programs for the people especially the poor.” Robles said.
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 Chairperson Michael Fitzsimons from Hong Kong Jockey Club and Vice Chairperson Lam Chee Weng of Singapore Pools.
Aside from Robles, the first Filipino to earn a seat in the body, the other members of APLA Executive Board include Kazuhisa Yamaguchi, president of the Japan Lottery Association and Kapil Khanna of Future Gaming & Hotel Services in India.
Also with them are Thierry Gabarret, chief executive officer of La Pacifique Des Jeax in French Polynesia, and Jason Delamore, chief executive of Lotto New Zealand. To recall, 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, Robless 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.
The agency has already released PHP6.7 billion from July 2022 to July 2024 as mandatory contribution to various agencies of the government.
Also, the PCSO has remitted PHP5.4 billion for the Universal Health Care of PhilHealth, and another PHP627.8 million for the Commission on Higher Education. During the same two-year period, the PCSO likewise released PHP576.2 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.
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