MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named retired Marikina Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge Felix Reyes as the new chairman of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Malacañang said on Tuesday, May 29.

The 63-year-old Reyes – already a member of the PCSO Board of Directors prior to his promotion – replaced former lawmaker Junie Cua, who had been with the PCSO since the start of the current administration in 2022. 

Malacañang did not state a reason for the change in leadership, which comes months after a string of controversies put the PCSO in the spotlight. 

In January, Senator Raffy Tulfo accused the PCSO of rigging its lottery draws to favor friends of the agency. 

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He also criticized PCSO for not seeking the approval of the Office of the President before implementing its e-lotto system.

In the same month, the agency drew flak for manipulating the photo of a lottery winner. While PCSO General Manager Mel Robles insisted that it was to protect the winner’s identity, it fueled speculations that the lottery draws were fictitious or staged.

PCSO – a government agency under the Office of the President – is tasked to raise and provide funds for health programs, medical services, and charities through charity sweepstakes, races, and lotteries, as well as health and welfare-related investments.

Reyes, the new chairman of the PCSO Board of Directors, was once the president of the Philippine Judges Association, and served as acting presiding judge of numerous RTC branches in Taguig City, Lipa City, and Calamba City. 

He completed his undergraduate studies at the Far Eastern University in 1981, then finished his law degree at the University of the East in 1986, according to a press release from the Presidential Communications Office. – Rappler.com