(From left) Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. President and Chief Operations Officer Alfredo Lim, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Domingo and Director Reynaldo Concordia inspect the fresh produce to be distributed during the rollout of ‘PAGkain Para sa Masa’ food caravan projec t. PHOTOS BY PAGCOR
(From left) Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. President and Chief Operations Officer Alfredo Lim, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Domingo and Director Reynaldo Concordia inspect the fresh produce to be distributed during the rollout of ‘PAGkain Para sa Masa’ food caravan projec t. PHOTOS BY PAGCOR

THE year 2021 was both bad news and good news for the country. We had Typhoon "Odette," which was acknowledged as the world's second deadliest natural disaster that year, next to the earthquake in Haiti. However, the country did gain wins in our fight to ameliorate the living conditions of our marginalized sector as hunger incidence declined to 10% across the country (SWS 2021 3Q report saying hunger was felt by 10 percent of families in the country) from a high of 21.1% the previous year.

According to data, the number of families in the country in 2021 was a little above 26 million (at about 4 members per family on the average). Reports that year showed that at least 8 million individuals suffered from the natural disaster that was Typhoon Odette.

Also in 2021, our nation battled on through the second year of the global Covid-19 pandemic and it was also a year of losses and gains for us. Medical bulletins showed that, while we had the all-time highest one-day count of new Covid-19 cases in September of that year, at 26,303 cases, we also had the lowest count of one-day tally of new Covid-19 cases at 168 by December of that same year.

Consistent and determined

In the nation's wins in 2021, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) was a major actor in almost all victories as it somehow redefined corporate social responsibility (CSR) into 'consistent strategic response'.

This is while Pagcor Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Domingo admitting that year that "they have yet to recover fully from revenue losses" as gaming operations were suspended during the pandemic lockdowns, the corporation remained consistent and determined to deliver help to our countrymen.

"We continue to share our financial resources and use our savings to ensure many significant projects are up and running," Domingo said.

Fight against hunger incidence: PAGkain Para sa Masa

According to a Brookings Institution 2021 analysis, the Philippine economy, which is highly dependent on mobility, suffered badly during the series of lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic. With restricted mobility inducing loss of income and missed livelihood opportunities, the incidence of hunger is naturally not far behind.

In response to this challenge, as early as May that year, Pagcor launched the "PAGkain Para sa Masa" project which delivered a total of 33,000 food pails containing canned goods, eggs, vegetables, and rice to community frontliners, volunteers, and indigent individuals in 126 locations, from the urban Krus na Ligas in Quezon City to as far as the remote mountainous community in San Andres, Quezon province.

Disaster preparedness

'It is always better to be prepared' is Pagcor's self-mantra in terms of helping Filipinos fight the socio-economic impact of natural disasters. The mantra was the spirit behind Pagcor's Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center (MPEC) project.

In 2021, despite being hampered by revenue losses, Pagcor's funding releases for the project reached a total of P1.36 billion allotted for the construction of 59 MPECs across the country. That year alone, funding for MPEC construction was received by the provinces of Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Cavite, Cagayan, Pampanga, Albay, Camarines Sur and Norte, Mountain Province, Kalinga, Ilocos Sur, Zamboanga del Sur, Romblon, Capiz, Samar, Tarlac, Aurora, Bataan, Eastern and Southern Leyte, Pangasinan, Isabela, Catanduanes, Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, Isabela, and Caloocan.

By end of 2021, Pagcor has released funding support of at least P1.5 billion for the construction of 64 MPEC sites across the country.

Pagcor Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (2nd from left) hands over a grocery pack to Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center Director Ricardo Ruñez Jr. during the ceremonial turnover of relief items for the hospital’s frontliners. Also in photo are Baguio Lone District Rep. Mark Go (extreme right) and Pagcor Corporate Secretary Juanito Sañosa Jr. (extreme left).
Pagcor Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (2nd from left) hands over a grocery pack to Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center Director Ricardo Ruñez Jr. during the ceremonial turnover of relief items for the hospital’s frontliners. Also in photo are Baguio Lone District Rep. Mark Go (extreme right) and Pagcor Corporate Secretary Juanito Sañosa Jr. (extreme left).

Pagcor President and Chief Operations Officer Alfredo Lim (2nd from left) and Tapaz Mayor Roberto Palomar (2nd from right) unveil the building marker for the first Pagcor-funded MPEC to be completed in the Visayas Region. Joining them are Pagcor’s Vice President for Human Resource and Development Group Atty. Alberto Regino,Jr. (left) and Tapaz Vice Mayor Ma. Fe Gardose (right).
Pagcor President and Chief Operations Officer Alfredo Lim (2nd from left) and Tapaz Mayor Roberto Palomar (2nd from right) unveil the building marker for the first Pagcor-funded MPEC to be completed in the Visayas Region. Joining them are Pagcor’s Vice President for Human Resource and Development Group Atty. Alberto Regino,Jr. (left) and Tapaz Vice Mayor Ma. Fe Gardose (right).

Pagcor chair and CEO Domingo explains that "this is future-proofing our countrymen to protect them from natural calamities and other emergency situations".

"We will continue to provide the necessary funding to build more emergency structures in other calamity-prone areas to ensure that those who will be affected by various disasters in the future will have safe and comfortable place to stay when they need to evacuate their homes," Domingo assures.

It was a strategic pre-positioning of vital infrastructures for emergency response.

For the towns, municipalities, and provinces that continue to feel the impact and threat of a Taal Volcano eruption, Pagcor continues to deliver on its commitment to help with an additional release of P100 million funding for the construction of MPECs in the area. Potential beneficiaries of the MPECs will be residents of Barangay Buso-Buso, of Laurel town in Batangas, a community located within the seven-kilometer danger zone of Taal Volcano.

"Schools are never convenient relocation centers for us as because our school structures cannot protect us against stronger rains and we are forced to transfer to houses of relatives or other more fortunate townmates when the stronger rains come," says 37-year-old Benedict Fernandez, Taal Lake fisherman, father of three, and a long-time resident of Barangay Buso-Buso.

Communities that continue to deal with the potentially recurring threat of a Taal Volcano eruption were also a recipient of Pagcor-funded permanent housing projects for displaced families, such as the Pagcor Village in Barangay San Sebastian, Mataas na Kahoy, in Batangas, with Pagcor releasing an initial P30 million to start the project in November of 2021. Over 100 families who are living within the Taal Volcano permanent danger zone will benefit from the project.

For Allan Consultado and his family from Borongan City, in Samar, going to their city's legislative building to seek shelter during typhoons is a nightmarish disaster in itself alone. It is a fact that the threat of typhoon is constant and recurring for communities in that region.

Consultado describes their shelter for disasters as "too tight and too crowded, and lacks essential facilities such as a decent comfort room".

Considering that most of the tropical cyclones in the country almost always make initial landfall in that part of the country, the construction of a two-storey MPEC, valued at P50 million, from Pagcor funding, in Borongan City is more than heaven sent for Consultado, his families, and his community.

Health is wealth

Pagcor continues to value the health of the Filipino people. Together with its partners of gaming operators and licensees, they continue to, so to speak, 'put their money where their mouths are,' when it comes to their health service advocacy.

Several medical facilities were recipients of Pagcor's continuing commitment to improve the delivery of medical and health services in the country. The list of Pagcor funding recipients include: Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital (JBLMGH) receiving P30 million for the procurement of a brachytherapy machine, the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) getting P28 million for the procurement of medical equipment for their Trauma Center, and the Bicol Medical Center (BMC), a recipient of some P49.98 million for the purchase of 33 mechanical ventilators and 10 infusion pumps for their surgery and pediatrics department.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Manila received some P20 million financial assistance to cover the costs of additional tests for thousands of patients served by the UP National Institutes of Health (NIH) COVID Testing Laboratory and the UP Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Molecular Laboratory. The Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo Station Hospital (CGEASH) received P6.3 million in financial assistance, as well, to help in the purchase of essential equipment and in the upgrade its facilities and laboratories.

Two other medical facilities in Albay, both severely damaged by typhoons, received financial aid from Pagcor. The Ziga Memorial District Hospital in Tabaco received a donation of P50 million while the Cagraray District Hospital, in Cagraray Island received a donation of P20 million.

Corella town, in Bohol, Central Visayas, meanwhile, received P2.2 million from Pagcor for the purchase of an Automated Hematology Analyzer and a Semi-Automated Blood Chemistry Analyzer for the town's municipal laboratory.

Inaugurated in November 2021, the now operational, P1 billion-worth, state-of-the-art, Presidential Security Group (PSG) Hospital is a testament to how Pagcor can inspire its gaming operator partners and licensees to help in nation building, specifically in terms improving the delivery of health care in the country. The 51-bed PSG Hospital was fully funded by Melco Resorts (Philippines), operator of the City of Dreams Manila, through their charitable arm MRP Foundation.

Pagcor, on the other hand, will provide an additional funding of P89.24 million to assist the PSG Hospital procure various medical equipment and supplies.

Assistance to sports programs and athletes

Pagcor remains committed to lend support to ensure that the country's potential and promise in the highly-competitive regional and global sports arenas continue to be realized through the years.

In 2021, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has acknowledged the vital role of Pagcor in our country's success both during the 30th Southeast Asian Games in 2019, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. From 2016 to June 2021, Pagcor remitted a total of P7.37 billion to the PSC "to finance the country's sports development programs and fuel the training of national athletes in their participation to international sports competitions".

Aside from the law-mandated Pagcor contribution to the PSC, by virtue of Republic Act (RA) 6847, Pagcor contributed an additional P842.5 million to refurbish key sports structures like the Rizal Memorial Coliseum (RMC) and Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS) inside the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) in Malate, Manila and the Philsports Complex Multipurpose Arena (PCMA) in Pasig City. Also, as part of its non-mandatory initiatives, Pagcor has provided a total of P10.97 million in financial assistance to some athletes who compete internationally in sports disciplines such as billiards, chess and dance sports among others.

Support to other sectors

Pagcor continues to lend support to other sectors. The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) received over more than P200 million in financial aid from Pagcor to help ameliorate the conditions of workers who lost income opportunities during the series of lockdowns due to the pandemic. The Philippine National School for the Blind (PNSB) was a recipient of P862,812 for the purchase of embossing machine – an apparatus used in the production of modules converted to braille. Barangay Brgy. San Agustin, Malabon City, on the other hand, received a P690,144 donation for purchase of 20 computer units.

Pagcor's commitment

Pagcor's commitment for 2021 was a 'consistent and strategic response to the socio-economic impact of the pandemic'. Nation building cannot stop even during a pandemic or economic lockdowns.

At half year 2021, Pagcor has already remitted total cash dividend contributions of P5 billion to the national treasury. It went on to surpass its target for 2021. This is while the whole country was dealing with the second year of the global pandemic, and Pagcor itself suffered a sharp decrease in its earnings. Yet, Pagcor continues with its own brand of nation building – strategic, consistent.