THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Thursday formally opened its new extension office and satellite clinic inside the Philippine Lung Center compound in Quezon City as part of its efforts to accommodate more individuals in need of free health service and medical assistance.
At the same time, the state-run charity agency announced the launching of its new traditional sweepstakes draw next year tagged as the P3-million People Power Sweepstakes, which is expected to generate additional funds for charity.
The opening of the Fund Allocation Department (FAD) and clinic at the Lung Center of the Philippines (LCP) marked the beginning of the PCSO’s five-year project that is aimed at putting up similar extension offices in different parts of the country.
PCSO Chairman Margarita Juico, who led the inauguration of the new extension office and clinic during the 77th anniversary celebration of the PCSO, thanked the LCP leadership for allowing the charity agency to use parts of a building inside the LCP compound as their extension office and clinic.
The office and clinic are expected to serve more than 400 individuals who are in need of free medical service.
This number is bigger than what the agency used to accommodate at its old clinic provided by Quezon City local government inside the City Hall compound.
With the inauguration of the PLC facility, the PCSO now has two satellite clinics in Metro Manila including the Our Lady of Peace clinic in Paranaque City and one being developed in Manila inside the Jose Reyes Medical Center.
“Our President (Benigno Aquino 3rd) is always saying that the public is his boss and we at the PCSO also have the same view and that is why we are trying our best to provide the best service to the people,” Juico added.
PCSO General Manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas said that to further carry out its mandate to reach out to the most indigent Filipinos, the PCSO will also establish satellite clinics in different areas in the country’s various regions.
He said that by putting up extension offices in different provinces, people residing in the Visayas and in Mindanao need not to go to Metro Manila to ask for assistance instead they will just go to the nearest PCSO extension office in their province to get the needed help.
Meanwhile, Viel Aquino-Dee, a sister of President Aquino, led the formal launch of the People Power Sweepstakes scheduled for February 26, 2012.
The new traditional sweepstakes draw is part of the continuous efforts of the government-run charity institution to generate funding for its charity programs, and is expected to get support similar to the Freedom Draw last August 21, which was sold out.
CSO sales department manager Roger Ramirez said that they will be printing at least 40,000 People Power Sweepstakes tickets, which will be sold starting next month.
The sweepstakes draw will have a grand prize of P3 million, 2nd prize of P1.5 million and 3rd prize of P700,000.
The popularity of the traditional sweepstakes has been overshadowed by the lotto, which offers higher jackpot prizes and is drawn daily.
Ramirez believes that there are still many who are supporters of the traditional sweepstakes, which does not only generate funding for charity but also provide decent livelihood to physically challenged individuals who sells tickets on the streets.
A sweepstakes seller earns at least P150 for every booklet he or she sold and a chance to get sellers commission which is 10 percent of the prize money.
