Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
ASIDE from its purpose to put a stop to the growing proliferation of illegal casino operations in various parts of the country, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) continuously perform its duties for the welfare of the Filipino people. One of its commitments is to generate revenues for the various corporate social responsibility projects which were accomplished even during the time of pandemic.
Fight against Covid-19
At the start of the pandemic on March 2020, Pagcor turned over P2 billion to the Office of the President to help fund the government's efforts in its fight against corona virus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
According to Pagcor Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo, the P2 billion was remitted to the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF) under the Office of the President which was used to respond to Proclamation No. 922, declaring a State of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines brought about by the Covid-19 virus.
Pagcor helped the government to address the need for additional funds to support the Department of Health (DoH) in combating the pandemic. Among these are the procurement of personal protective equipment, operating expenses of the Bureau of Quarantine and support for the tests being conducted by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
Also, Pagcor donates additional P500 million, on top of the P2 billion Covid-19 fund as the government imposed more drastic measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 in March 2020.
Aside from donating funds, the state-gaming regulator also implemented drastic measures to help stop Covid-19 in the country by suspending all gaming operations in the National Capital Region (NCR).
In March 24, 2020, Pagcor earmarked P12 billion for remittance to the National Treasury as the government heightens its revenue generation efforts to cushion the economic impact of the Covid-19 in the country.
"As one of the government's biggest revenue generators, Pagcor has always been trying to exceed its past achievements. While this is not an easy feat, we will always do our best to respond to our mandate and call of duty. We support the President's war against Covid-19," Domingo said.
The P12-billion remittance made a substantial contribution to the efforts of the national government to cushion the impact of severe drop in government revenues, brought about by the slowdown in business activities due to measures taken to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Furthermore, amidst the enhanced community quarantine that was implemented in Luzon in 2020, the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the country have raised a total of P150 million for the purchase of medical supplies and food packs for distribution to various hospitals and cities in Metro Manila. Of this amount, P90 million was used to purchase essential medical supplies needed by hospitals to protect healthcare frontliners, while P50 million was used to purchase food items. The remaining P10 million was used to purchase 25,000 food packs to be distributed by POGOs and Pagcor to the cities of Pasay, Parañaque, Quezon City's Districts 1, 2 and 4, Pateros, Mandaluyong, Marikina and Malabon.
The Entertainment City casino licensees of Pagcor also donated more than P200 million worth of essential items that helped boost government's efforts in fighting the Covid-19. In coordination with Pagcor, the Foundations of the four Entertainment City operators teamed-up to provide personal protective equipment (PPE), food and medical supplies to hospitals and LGUs in areas where they were most needed.
Pagcor, like many businesses and economies which experienced downturn due to Covid-19 pandemic, have not been spared from revenue losses. While the enhanced community quarantine is being imposed in Metro Manila and other major cities nationwide, Pagcor recorded an average of P5 to 6 billion revenue losses a month.
Despite these losses, the country's gaming regulator and operator have remitted a total of P20.5 billion to the national government to help cushion the impact of Covid-19 in the country.
In times of calamity
Even in times of natural disasters on top of the pandemic, the dedication and commitment of Pagcor in performing their duties to the Filipinos are very evident.
When super typhoon Rolly hit thousands of residents in the Bicol region, Pagcor immediately delivered relief essentials to the provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur. Majority of the typhoon victims who lost their homes to devastating winds and heavy rains received food and non-food relief packs from Pagcor. The agency's volunteer employees braved heavily damaged roads and the long drive from Manila to Bicol just to bring necessary aid to the beneficiaries.
Moreover, flood victims in Marikina City got swift assistance from the agency after typhoon Ulysses dumped heavy rains and inundated anew the country's shoe capital.
Pagcor, led by VP for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Jimmy Bondoc, donated relief items composed of food and non-food packs to the city government of Marikina. Food packs contained rice, canned goods and other grocery items, while the non- food packs contained blankets, mosquito nets, slippers and hygiene kits.
Thousands of families, particularly those in distant communities, who were devastated by typhoon Ulysses in Tuguegarao City also received immediate aid from Pagcor.
Another proof of dedication of Pagcor and its licensed casinos was during the onslaught of typhoon Odette last December 2021, where they provided much-needed assistance to thousands of locals in some parts of Visayas and Mindanao.
Pagcor immediately sent a total of 9,000 relief packs and non-food items to the second district of Surigao del Norte, first district of Cebu City, Puerto Princesa, Palawan and Maribojoc, Bohol. More than 8,000 relief packs were distributed to Leyte, Southern Leyte, Siargao, Cebu and Misamis Oriental — which were among the severely affected areas of the typhoon.
Building new hopes
As part of the government's long-term response to climate change, which caused the successive strong typhoons that slammed the country, Pagcor allocated P2 billion for the construction of multi-purpose evacuation centers (MPEC) in typhoon-prone provinces.
Pagcor initially approved 32 MPECs to be constructed in 31 sites. These areas include Albay, Aurora, Batangas, Camarines Sur, Capiz, Ilocos Sur, Laguna, Mountain Province, Marikina, Northern Samar, Oriental Mindoro, Pampanga, Quezon, Romblon, Rizal, Southern Leyte, Tarlac and Zamboanga del Sur.
Another milestone of Pagcor is the construction of the 100-bed overseas Filipino worker (OFW) hospital which is located in the two-hectare land from the provincial of Pampanga. The construction of the said health facility was made possible with the P500 million donation of Bloomberry Cultural Foundation, Inc. (BCFI), an entity established by the operator of Solaire Resort and Casino.
Aside from BCFI's donation, Pagcor also donated P300 million for the purchase of state-of-the-art medical equipment for the hospital.
"The OFW Hospital is a way for us to show our gratitude. We hope to jumpstart and be a catalyst for other like-minded organizations to build more health facilities for our retiring OFWs, providing them care and compassion as they spend their retirement years back in our beloved country," BCFI President Donato Almeda cited.
Additionally, two medical government institutions got a facelift and provided better services to their patients after Pagcor formally turned over to them a total of P93.22 million financial aids.
Of said amount, P53.22 million was allotted for the Armed Forces of the Philippines Health Service Command (AFPHSC) for the construction of a halfway house at the V. Luna Medical Center (formerly V. Luna Hospital).
Pagcor likewise turned over P40 million to the University of the Philippines Los Baños–University Health Service (UPLB-UHS) for the renovation of the UPLB-University Health Services Operating Room Complex including the upgrade of the hospital's equipment. The project's completion is expected within two years.
Another state-of-the-art medical facility was constructed in a far-flung town of Quezon. Bloomberry Cultural Foundation Inc. (BCFI), the corporate social responsibility arm of Solaire Resort and Casino, through Pagcor, sponsored the construction of the first hospital in San Andres, Quezon.
Situated in Sitio Yuyuan, Barangay Camflora, San Andres, Quezon, the P50 million, 25-bed-capacity hospital has isolation rooms, semi-private rooms, six-bed-wards and a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It also has four emergency rooms, two operating/delivery rooms, and provisions for consultation rooms and out-patient consultation rooms.
Resorts World Manila also previously joined hands with the PNP in refurbishing and providing new medical equipment to the Sinagtala Wing of the PNP General Hospital, to enhance the healthcare services for the men and women in service, as well as their families.
Also, a P1 billion-worth state-of-the-art hospital for the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in Malacañang Park, Manila was conceptualized and fully funded by Melco Resorts (Philippines) Foundation Corporation (MRP Foundation), the charitable arm of City of Dreams Manila (a casino licensee of Pagcor).
Aside from the construction of various health facilities, Pagcor also initiated and sponsored the construction of numbers of multi-purpose evacuation centers (MPEC) to help mitigate the destructive impact of calamities in the different provinces.
After a series of MPEC projects in the Southern and Central Luzon, Pagcor headed north to fund the construction of evacuation centers.
Pagcor also sealed its partnership with the provincial government of Romblon and the municipality of Dinas in Zamboanga del Sur after the state-run gaming agency approved the funding for the construction of MPECs in these areas, with a budget of P50 million.
A P50-million worth of emergency shelter to utilize in times of calamities was also funded by Pagcor in Tapaz, Capiz.
Furthermore, a coastal municipality in Southern Leyte will soon have a safe shelter for its locals during typhoons and other calamities after Pagcor released the first tranche of funding for the construction of MPEC worth P50 million in the town of Silago.
Even the residents of Laguna and Batangas who are often displaced by extreme weather disturbances will no longer worry about staying in cramped temporary shelters during emergency situations after Pagcor turned over the funds for the construction of two MPECs in the said provinces.
The City of San Jose del Monte in Bulacan also received from the state-run gaming firm the initial grant for the building of an MPEC worth P27.9 million.
Not only in provinces but Pagcor also funded the first-ever recipient of the MPEC in Metro Manila. Caloocan City which is identified as one of the most flood-prone cities was granted P50 million for the construction of a two-storey permanent evacuation center.
To date, Pagcor has released a total of P1.259 billion to start the construction of 55 MPECs nationwide since the project's launch in 2020. Said amount represents the first tranche or 50 percent of Pagcor's committed funding for the MPEC project.
Another breakthrough of Pagcor is the Pagcor Villages in the town of Agoncillo and Lemery, Batanagas early last year. They are designed to provide permanent shelters to less privileged families who were displaced by Taal Volcano's eruption in January 2020. Most of these families remain homeless until now.
For the quality of education of young Filipinos
Pagcor not only provide funds for the health care service and safety of Filipinos but also in promoting quality education of the Filipino youths.
The state-run gaming firm donated P10.9 million to the provincial government of Benguet for the procurement of tablets to be used in the students' online classes. Two thousand units of tablets are distributed to selected poor students from different public learning institutions in the province.
While in Angeles City, Pagcor officially commenced the construction of a school building on June 28, 2021. It a four-story, 20-classroom facility at the City College of Angeles (CCA) in Barangay Pampang, which began its operations in 2012. CCA received P50 million grant from Pagcor for the school building project.
In spite of its lower gaming revenues due to the ongoing pandemic, Pagcor continued to extend aid to various institutions after it turned over a total of P26.45 million to three recipients — then University of the Philippines (UP), Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo Station Hospital (CGEASH) and the Pampanga Press Club Foundation Inc.