PCSO: Siman never an STL operator

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) yesterday denied reports that Victor Siman – one of 13 fatalities in the alleged shootout with government forces in Quezon province – was an operator of the Small Town Lottery (STL) in Laguna and Batangas.

PCSO general manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said a review of the STL operators in Luzon showed that no Siman was connected to any gaming corporation that operates the legal numbers game.

Rojas said the names of the other men killed in the alleged shootout also did not appear in the list of legal SLT operators in the Southern Tagalog provinces.

“Our review also showed that not one of the victims was connected to or employed by any gaming corporation,” he said.

Rojas made the statement in reaction to claims by Siman’s relatives that he was an STL operator before he went into the security agency business.

Rudy Siman has denied his son was involved in the illegal numbers game. He said his son used to be an STL operator in the province but had left it to focus on his security agency business.

PCSO records showed there are only three registered STL operators in Quezon, Laguna and Batangas provinces.

The Piroette Corp. and the Ramroid Corp. operate in Quezon and Laguna, while Batangas Enhanced Technology operates in Sto. Tomas town in Batangas.