The Philippine Star Opinion Section Letter to the Editor Page 11 05 March 2000 Sunday Issue Abrupt unexplained upheaval at PCSO Yesterday, Feb. 28th, after asking what time the board meeting of the Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office would be, I was informed by the secretary of the board that I should not attend the meeting because a new board had been appointed by the President. Our regular board meetings, normally held on Wednesdays, was advanced because we heard that the chairman, Rosario Lopez, was leaving on a pilgrimage to Rome with the First Lady that Wednesday. Caught by surprise as in the case of Justice Palma, where even the security guards and janitors knew of the change before she did, I asked myself what could be the reason for the arbitrariness of such an act, and the haste with which it was executed. Twenty months ago, I took my oath with President Estrada, as director of PCSO. I was told that this position was co-terminus with that of the President. I accepted this job because I wanted to help channel funds to the truly poor. Since then, I had tried my best, doing not only what was expected, but more than what was expected, cheating no one, padding no prices of medicine, recommending no ghost employees, stealing not a single peso from this multibillion-peso government agency. After a few months in office, though, I observed that requests from congressmen and mayors, from the President and the First Lady, were becoming more frequent, while funds for our regular hospitals and institutions were becoming extremely difficult to secure. We were ordered to send all our ambulances to Jinggoy Estrada, for him to distribute, while hundreds of millions of pesos went to congressmen, mayors and the First Couple. To comply with requests from the President and First Lady, and at this, not even all the requests were granted, four hundred thirty million, two hundred seventy-nine thousand, five hundred eighty one pesos and twenty eight centavos (P430,279,581.28) were authorized within a span of one year. Compare this to the amount earmarked for our regular beneficiaries all over the Philippines, serving thousands of sick, aged, children, orphans and unfortunate, which was sixty-five million, three hundred sixty four thousand and four hundred pesos (P 65,364,400). Aware of what was happening with PSCO funds, I learned to object to such requests, to question, to stall, to defer resolutions. Now, twenty months after, I ask myself why was I removed as director? One could give the glib reply, that this is the prerogative of the president. Legally, yes, but morally, no. What motivations could have pushed the president to take such a step? Why the haste of the chairman of the PCSO board to advise the president to replace us ? We are informed that of the new board, one director is a man from the movie industry, another, a protégé of J. V. Ejercito, another, a friend of the First Lady , another, a relative of the chairman. The answer came logically. National Elections are coming, and I have not learned to steal.  (Sgd.) Sister CHRISTINE TAN, RGS The writer works as her apostolate with Alay Kapwa Christian Community, an NGO based at Fidel Reyes , Malate, Manila.