Whistleblower Sandra Cam dies at 64
Whistleblower Sandra Cam (INQUIRER file photo / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ)
MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board member and jueteng whistleblower Sandra Cam has died, her family confirmed on Friday.
Cam’s son, Marco, announced the death of his 64-year-old mother in a statement posted on his Facebook account.
He said his mother died on April 10, but he gave no other details.
“Mama Ningning is a resilient single mother who raised three sons into strong, capable men – each one carrying forward her legacy of serving the Filipino people with courage and compassion,” said Marco.
“Her deep value for education likewise earned her recognition as an Outstanding Asian Public Servant and Educator in the Philippines,” he recalled.
“Her final role in public service was as a member of the Board of Directors of the PCSO, where she devoted her remaining years to serving the poor and those in need,” he added.
READ: Sandra Cam: Truth, power, and scandal
Cam first gained prominence in 2005 when she confessed that she had served as a bagwoman who collected money from jueteng operators and delivered them to public officials.
She said she regularly delivered bribes to the late Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo and former Pampanga Second District Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo.
Mikey Arroyo is the first son of former President and incumbent Pampanga Second District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In 2019, then PCSO board member Cam appealed to then-President Rodrigo Duterte to relieve her of her duties, citing corruption issues in the agency.
She said the agency lost a lot of money due to shortfalls, and some P10 billion went missing due to the Peryahan ng Bayan project.
Cam, an avid supporter of Duterte, was appointed PCSO board member in 2017.
Before becoming PCSO board member, Cam became known as the whistleblower in a jueteng scandal in 2005.
In 2023, she apologized to staunch Duterte critic Leila de Lima, saying that she was “used as a tool” for the imprisonment of the former senator and justice secretary that led to the latter’s years in detention.
