REVISED PHILIPPINE CHARITY SWEEPSTAKES OFFICE (PCSO)
WHISTLE BLOWING POLICY
I. BACKGROUND
The right of the public to petition government for redress of grievances without
fear of reprisal is guaranteed by the Constitution. Pursuant to this constitutional
provision, it is the responsibility of the government to encourage people to report any
irregularities and violations of good governance principles and acts or omissions thatare illegal, against public policy and unhealthy business practices within its
organization. Hence, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) adopted thewhistle blowing policy and guidelines1 under Governance Commission for
Government Owned and Controlled Corporations (GCG) Memorandum CircularNo. 2014-042 to enable any concerned individual to report and provide information,
anonymously if he/she wishes, and even to testify on matters involving actions oromission of the Directors, Officers and Employees of PCSO that are illegal,
unethical, violate good governance principles, are against public policy and morals,
promote unsound and unhealthy business practices or grossly disadvantageous toPCSO and/or the Government.
On February 23, 2017, pursuant to GCG Memorandum Circular 2016-02(“Revised Whistle Blowing Policy for the GOCC Sector), the PCSO approved theImplementing Rules and Regulations of the PCSO Whistle Blowing Policy 3 detailingthe handling of the whistle blowing reports, the form and content of the whistle
blowing report/complaint, and action thereto, among others.
On April 13, 2023, the GCG issued Memorandum Circular No. 2023-03,
amending certain provisions of GCG Memorandum Circular No. 2016-02 requiring
among others, the adoption of process and inclusion in the organization’s charter thehandling of whistle blowing reports and complaints, and submission of reportconcerning the handling of whistleblowing reports or complaints.

II. STATEMENT OF POLICY
The Whistle Blowing Policy mandates all GOCC Director/Trustees, Officers
and Employees to exemplify the behavior and professional demeanor consistent withsuch laws, rules and regulations, policies and procedures of the highest standard inline with the State’s policy that the governance of Government Owned andControlled Corporations (GOCCs) shall be carried out in a transparent, responsible
1

2016 Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Manual of Corporate Governance, page 11,
approved under Board Resolution No. 072, s. 2014.
2Whistle Blowing Policy for the GOCC Sector; April 14, 2014.
3PCSO Board Resolution No. D-0044, s. 20171and accountable manner; and with the utmost degree of professionalism andeffectiveness. The Governance Boards of every GOCC and its subsidiaries must becompetent to carry out the GOCCs functions, be fully accountable to the State as its
fiduciaries, and act in the best interest of the GOCC and the State.
III. DEFINITION OF TERMS
a. Whistleblowing: The process of revealing wrongdoing within an organization,
which serves to uphold ethical standards and protect public interests.
b. A whistleblower is a person who exposes information about illegal, unethical,
or improper conduct within an organization

IV. REPORTABLE CONDITIONS
The following are reportable conditions and shall be treated as serious andsensitive in character, with considerable impact on PCSO in particular, or the GOCC
Sector in general, as to warrant action under this policy:
A. Specific act/omission:
1. Conflict of Interest4;
2. Abuse of Authority;
3. Bribery;
4. Destruction/Manipulation of Records;
5. Fixing;
6. Inefficiency;
7. Making False Statements;
8. Malversation;
9. Misappropriation of Assets;
10. Misconduct;
11. Money Laundering;
12. Negligence of Duty;
13. Nepotism;
14. Receiving a Commission;
15. Solicitation of Gifts;
16. Taking Advantage of Corporate Opportunities;
17. Undue Delay in Rendition of Service;
18. Undue Influence; andB. Violation of special laws and rules:
1. RA 1169, as amended (PCSO Charter);
4Id.; see note 1; “Conflict of interest exists for any Board member or executive officer of the PCSO when:a. He/she supplies or is attempting or applying to supply goods or services to the PCSO or endorsing those supplied by their relatives orfriends;
b. He/she supplies or is attempting to supply goods, services or information to an entity in competition with the PCSO;
c. By virtue of his or her office, acquires or is attempting to acquire for him/herself a business opportunity which should belong to thePCSO;
d. He/she accepts an offer or receives a favor or consideration for delivering the business of PCSO to a third party; ande. He/she is engaged or is attempting to engage in a business or activity which competes with or works contrary to the best interest of thePCSO.”

22. R.A. No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officialsand Employees);
3. R.A. No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act);
4. R.A. No. 7080 (The Plunder Law);
5. R.A. No. 9485 (Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007);
6. R.A. No. 7877 (Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995)
7. R. A. No. 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act)
8. Book II, Title VII, Crimes Committed by Public Officers, The Revised Penal
Code;
9. Executive Order No. 292, s. 1987 (Administrative Code of 1987);
10. R.A. No. 10149 (GOCC Governance Act of 2011);
11. R.A. No. 9184 and its IRR (Government Procurement Reform Law);
12. GCG MC No. 2012-05 (Fit and Proper Rule);
13. GCG MC No. 2012-06 (Ownership and Operations Manual Governing theGOCC Sector);
14. GCG MC No. 2012-07 (Code of Corporate Governance for GOCCs);
15. Violation of other GCG Circulars and Orders;
16. Other applicable laws, rules and regulations;
17. Republic Act No. 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act
18. 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service; and19. Other relevant CSC Circulars and applicable laws and regulations.
All whistle blowing reports/complaints shall state the specific condition/s,action/s, and/or omission/s being complained about, as well as the correspondinglaws, rules and regulations allegedly violated. If possible, documentary and otherdocuments in support of the whistleblowing report/complaints must be submitted tothe PCSO Whistleblowing Committee (PWC) as provided in this IRR.
V. PCSO WHISTLEBLOWING COMMITTEE (PWC)
The PCSO Whistleblowing Committee (PWC) shall be created by the Board ofDirectors to be composed of the Manager of the Legal Department, as Chairperson,with the following members: Manager of the Human Resources Department andManager of the Internal Audit Services, Attorney V from the Legal Department.
Whenever the whistleblowing report/complaint is submitted/initiated by an employee
or official of PCSO, a representative from their sole bargaining agent or recognizedassociation of managers/executives, as the case may be, shall also sit as the fifth
member of the PWC. Members of the Committee shall be designated by the GeneralManager.
The PWC shall perform duties, including but not limited to:a.

Determination of the veracity of a whistle blowing report/complaint inaccordance with the 2017 Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in theCivil Service (RRACCS) through the conduct of an investigation on thematter subject of the report/complaint. The PWC may dismiss the whistle
blowing report/complaint for lack of merit, otherwise it shall submit aformal recommendation to the PCSO Governing Board for the discipline3

of the respondent official/employee and/or referral of the same toappropriate court for filing of criminal/civil case;b. Conduct preliminary investigation to determine whether a report/complaint
falls within the scope of this Policy, particularly Section 4 hereof or thereportable conditions under Paragraph 4 of GCG MC No. 2016-02;c.

In cases of whistleblowing reports against the Chairperson and Directors,
the complaint shall be endorsed to the Office of the General Counsel ofthe Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG);d.

Formulation and adoption of its internal rules on the disposition ofwhistleblowing report/complaint.

VI. REPORTING CHANNELS
The following are dedicated reporting channels which the whistleblower can use
to file any reportable condition:a)directly
toGCG’swhistleblowing(www.whistleblowing.gcg,gov.ph); and/or

webportalb)

thru and/or the PCSO reporting channel for whistle blower/s thru thePCSO Human Resources Department (HRD), as follows:b.1. E-mail: whistleblowing@pcso.gov.phb.2. Mail:
Attention: The Human Resources Department
c/o Office of the Manager
Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office 1507
10th Floor Sun Plaza Building
Shaw Boulevard Corner Princeton St., Mandaluyong Cityb.3. Telefax: (02)8706-4307
b.4. Drop box: Located at the Ground Floor, PCSO Conservatory
Building 605 Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong City

VII. HANDLING OF WHISTLEBLOWING REPORTS
The PCSO HRD shall be tasked to receive and endorse all whistle blowing
report/complaint. It shall verify the names and positions of the officials, or employees
complained of. Thereafter, the HRD shall endorse the whistleblowing report to thePWC within five (5) calendar days from its receipt of the report/complaint.
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VIII. ACTION ON WHISTLEBLOWING REPORTThe PWC shall prepare its formal recommendation based on its investigationand present it to the PCSO Governing Board for approval within five (5) calendar
days from the termination of the investigation.
IX. CONFIDENTIALITY OF WHISTLEBLOWING REPORT/S (WR)Except when the whistleblower does not invoke anonymity and/orconfidentiality, the PCSO shall ensure confidentiality of all information arising from
whistleblowing reports/complaints. It shall treat all reports, including the identity ofthe whistleblower and the person/s complained of, in a confidential and sensitive
manner.
The identity of the whistleblower will be kept confidential except in thefollowing situations:a. When compelled by law or the Courts to be revealed;b. The whistleblower authorized the release of his/her identity;c. Upon the determination of the probability of the veracity of his
report/complaint, the whistleblower must identify himself in order for theinvestigation to proceed.
The confidentiality nature of the information subject of the whistleblowing
report/complaint shall be observed except to the extent necessary to conduct acomplete and fair investigation and hearing of the same.
X. PROTECTION OF A WHISTLEBLOWER AGAINST RETALIATION
Retaliatory acts against whistleblowers (whether employed by PCSO or fromthe public) who submit whistleblowing reports in good faith shall not be tolerated. For
this purpose, PCSO shall protect the whistleblower from retaliation and extend all
possible assistance to the whistleblower under the law.
The following acts against the person of the whistleblower during theevaluation of his/her report/complaint by duly constituted committees in the agency
and after the conduct of investigation shall be prohibited:a. Discrimination or harassment in the workplace;b. Demotion;c. Reduction in salary or benefits;d. Termination of Contract;e. Evident bias or threats that adversely affect the right and interests of
the whistleblower.
Any whistleblowing report/complaint which is to be heard by the PWC shall bewith the representation from the registered and sole bargaining agent of rank and file5

personnel, in case the whistleblower is a rank and file employee; or from therecognized association of managers/executives, in case the whistleblower is an
official of PCSO.
The whistleblower, if he/she desires, may be assisted by a counsel of his/herchoice. However, the expenses incidental to the prosecution of his report/complaint
should be on his/her sole account and in no case shall be charged to PCSO.
XI. A. UNTRUE ALLEGATIONS
If whistleblower makes allegations that are determined to be fabricated or
malicious falsehoods, legal action may be taken against him by the PCSO and/or therespondent under applicable laws, rules, and regulations.

XI. B. OTHER DUTIES OF PCSO
The PCSO shall comply with the following:a. Whistleblowing Portal. Maintenance of a whistleblowing system, including
the whistleblowing portal available at its web portal;b. Process. Adoption of a process and inclusion in its Citizen Charter thehandling of whistleblowing reports and complaints;
c. Turn-Around-Time. Resolution of the whistleblowing reports or complaints
within the periods prescribed by relevant issuances or orders and asprovided in its Citizens Charter;d. Client Satisfaction Survey. Administration of a satisfaction survey inaccordance with applicable rules and regulations relative to the grant of
the Performance-Based Bonus and Performance Based Incentive;
e. Reportorial Duty. Submission to the GCG-Office of the General Counsel,
Integrity Division an annual report prepared by the concerned office andcertified by the Governing Board that:i. Rules in Handling Whistleblowing Reports or complaints wereinstitutionalized or if processes are already in place, if the same weresubjected to modifications;ii. Summary of all whistleblowing reports received by the PCSO;
iii. Summary of the actions taken thereon;
iv. Results of the corresponding Customer Satisfaction Survey;
v. Percentage of reports resolved within the prescribed period, percentageof reports resolved outside the prescribed period, and percentage ofreports that remain unresolved;

6vi. Copies of the reports and complaints, relevant letters and memoranda,
evidence of administration of the Customer Satisfaction Survey, and otherpertinent documents.
XII. VALIDATIONThe GCG-Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Integrity Division may
conduct validation of the reports and documents submitted by PCSO enumerated
under Section XI.B.(e) (Reportorial Duty), including on-site validation confirming thereports submitted by the PCSO in relation to maintenance of Whistleblowing Portal,PCSO Citizen Charter with respect to the handling of whistleblowing reports andcomplaints, Client Satisfaction Survey and Reportorial Duty i.e., annual report inaccordance with GCG Memorandum Circular No. 2023-03, particularly Item No. 3
thereof, including on-site validation confirming the reports submitted by the PCSO. Ifthe reports are substantiated, then the OGC, Integrity Division shall issue thefollowing:a. Rules in handling whistleblowing reports and complaints exists, andstatus of the same, if subjected to modifications;b. The PCSO indicated all the whistleblowing reports and complaints
received;c. The PCSO acted, disposed, if not resolved all the whistleblowing reports
and complaints, including the resolution and disposition rates.
d. Client Satisfaction Survey was undertaken and the results weresubmitted.

XIII. GOOD GOVERNANCE CONDITION
Full compliance with the foregoing requirements shall be a Good Governance
Condition for the grant of Performance Based Bonus and Performance-Based
Incentives of the offices handling the whistleblowing reports, complaints or concernsof their stakeholders, and the Governing Board and Management.

APPROVED

December 13, 2023

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