GAMBLING firm DFNN Inc. said it received the order from the Court of Appeals (CA) affirming the decision of the lower court, awarding P310 million to the company on its case against the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
In a decision promulgated on November 17, the CA dismissed the petition filed by the PCSO in assailing the P310-million monetary award granted to DFNN by the Regional Trial Court Branch 66 in Makati City.
In affirming the lower court’s ruling, the CA declared the RTC in Makati City correctly granted DFNN’s petition for correction, which correctly observed “the proper procedure for the correction of an evident miscalculation of figures in the arbitral award.”
An ad-hoc arbitration panel earlier declared the PCSO erred when it rescinded DFNN’s equipment lease agreement on the systems-design development and upgrade for lotto betting through personal communication devices, such as text message, bluetooth, 3G and Wi-fi, among others. In ruling that the PCSO improperly terminated that agreement with DFNN, the arbitration panel noted the grounds relied upon by the PCSO to effect cancellation of DFNN’s contract were misplaced and unfounded.
“While we are happy with the favorable ruling by the Court of Appeals, we would also like to express our willingness to forge a mutually acceptable settlement agreement with the present PCSO management,” DFNN President and CEO Ramon Garcia Jr. said.