MAURO GIA SAMONTE
THIS guy Atong amazes me exceedingly. He minces no street lingo in calling Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office General Manager Alexander Ferrer Balutan “luko-luko” and in making emphatic his claim of presidential blessing in meddling in the affairs of the PCSO. For instance, in an interview with Kabayan Noli Boy de Castro, he is quite unequivocal in proclaiming that he did not come to the PCSO early on in the administration of Balutan at the agency to apply for nationwide operation of the small town lottery (STL), as has been widely ventilated in the media, but to, he said, clean up the mess in the corruption-prone numbers game at the bidding of President Duterte.