The first PCSO charter, Act 4130, was enacted by the Legislature in October 1934, last year of the US colonial government under Governor-General Frank Murphy. Quezon was president of the Senate with Jose Avelino as president pro-tempore in place of Sergio Osmeña. Quintin Paredes took over as speaker succeeding Manuel A. Roxas. Osmeña and Roxas were outvoted in the pro-anti controversy when the first independence act was rejected by the Legislature with Quezon leadingthe antis.

Quirino, first chairman
PCSO was organized as the national sweepstakes/lottery agency beginning March 1935 with the appointment of Secretary of Finance Elpidio Quirino as board chairman. The other members of Murphy’s Cabinet were: Teofilo Sison, Interior; Jose Yulo, Justice; Amang Rodriguez, Agriculture and Commerce; Antonio de las Alas, Public Works and Communications; Joseph R. Hayden, Public Instruction, and Ramon Torres, Labor.

First acting manager
Quirino designated his senior finance assistant, Ramiro Castro, as acting manager. Castro was a government pensioner at the University of Chicago in 1924. One of his classmates was Princess Tarhata.

Boys from Vigan and Baler
The first PCSO recruit was Ernesto Florendo of Vigan, hometown of Secretary Quirino. Florendo retired as treasurer after a continuous service of close to 50 years. Another old-timer, Amado Aragon from Baler, was “probably" a relative of Doña Aurora Aragon-Quezon, who recommended Amado to Auditor General Jaime Hernandez for the lowest item in the auditing division. He served PCSO the longest, more than 50 years, from age 17. (Aragon told this author he added one year to qualify.)

2nd GM
Before the first draw was held on September 8, 1935, Fabian R. Millar was named general manager, with the help of Quezon. Millar was a congressman and descended from an illustrious family in Tayabas.

The six-digit numbers for the First, Second, Third and six Fourth prizes were paired with horses to run the special race for PCSO.

MLQ campaigning in Luzon Quezon was not present at the first September draw. On September 8, 1935 he and Osmeña were busy combing Luzon for votes in the first national election on September 17, to choose the first set of Commonwealth officials – president, vice-president and 98 members of the unicameral National Assembly.

He was not running scared against General/President Aguinaldo, Bishop Gregorio Aglipay and Pascual Racuyal. There was not an instance of the scary dagdag bawas in all elections in PI between 1903 and 1935. The three opponents of Quezon obtained votes less than one-half of his close to 700,000 votes.

First winner from Tayabas
The first prize winner was a nine-year-old pupil and barrio lass (farmer’s daughter) in Candelaria, Tayabas. The winner was probably born in 1926, and if still living, she would be 83 years old today.

In 1935 P75,000 (first prize) could build a modest four-bedroom mansion with a shinny Cadillac or Packard Clipper in the garage leaving about P40,0000 more for the family. PCSO employees from Candelaria could not tell if the girl’s family prospered through the years. (Source: Jose Nadres-Dia of Candelaria and retired chief of PCSO racing division.) Quezon at PCSO draw

For the draw in December 1935, President Quezon (he assumed office as Commonwealth president on November 15, 1935) and Doña Aurora were the principal guests at the PCSO office on Taft Ave.

PCSO padlocked but…
In 1937 militant members of the Federation of Women’s Club petitioned Quezon to padlock the PCSO for symbolizing and promoting gambling openly, freely, and defiantly. To appease the girls Quezon suspended PCSO’s operation for three months and it was a dark period for about 200 employees, who reported to work in coat and necktie for two years.

Quezon ordered Millar and his team to justify the agency’s continuing service or else. The National Assembly read PCSO’s memo and approved its operation.

The war years
PCSO again closed its doors between mid-December 1941 and May 1942 until the Vargas Commission, installed by Tojo, ordered its reopening. First to return to work was Alfredo Montilla, teller, of Butuan City.

The evacuation fever forced employees to leave Manila for the provinces and Montilla could not entrust the proceeds of ticket sales to anyone.

Honor for honesty
He kept it and returned the sales proceeds to the PCSO treasurer when civil government started running the whole country under the Vargas Commission.

For his rare feat of honesty PCSO chairman Antonio de las Alas (finance secretary in the Quezon cabinet) and Gen. Fabian R. Millar awarded Montilla a certificate of commendation. There was no culture yet of giving cash awards to honest public servants. It was easy for the teller to pocket it and tell the Japs snatched it. But not Fred. (Comments are welcome at roming@pefianco.com)