MANILA, Philippines — Feuding officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) were urged yesterday to bury the hatchet and start working together for the sake of people who seek the agency’s help.

Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, House minority leader, made the appeal in the course of a hearing after it became obvious that PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan and board member Sandra Cam are still not talking to each other.        

The two were seated apart during the hearing.

Suarez told the two that their raging feud embarrasses President Duterte, who told Cam during a visit to Albay last week to forget about her quarrel with Balutan and to befriend him.        

“You should work together for the sake of the President and thousands of people seeking aid from the PCSO. There should be no room for disagreement,” Suarez said.

He added that Duterte, in an interview in Cebu City on Monday, already cleared Balutan of wrongdoing and impropriety in connection with the PCSO’s Christmas party held at a luxury hotel in Mandaluyong City last Dec. 19.

“The President has already spoken. You should put that issue behind you and start mending fences,” he told them.

Suarez’s plea was prompted by Cam’s continuing criticism of Balutan and the Christmas party, which cost the PCSO P6.3 million.