PAGCOR releases more than US$ 270,000 in community financial aid
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp has released more support for the healthcare sector and local communities.
The Philippines.- The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has released grants totalling more than P14m (close to US$ 272,000) for the University of the Philippines – Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and local government units (LGUs). The hospital received has received P10m in financial assistance for the procurement of medical equipment that was destroyed when a fire gutted the hospital operating room’s sterilisation area on May 16, 2021.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea D. Domingo said the agency had supported PGH through various donations and financial assistance for patients.
She said: “When the fire broke out in the hospital last year, we immediately provided non-food items, personal protective equipment and hygiene essentials for the medical staff and patients.”
PGH director Gerardo Legaspi said the donation will help the state-owned hospital re-establish essential services. The fire caused structural damage and damaged sterilisation units and other medical apparatus.
The local government units (LGUs) that benefited from PAGCOR’s latest grants were the Municipality of Castilla, Sorsogon, and the Provincial Government of Batanes, which received P2m each.
Castilla Mayor Isagani Mendoza said funds will be used to purchase medicines to be given to Covid-19 patients in the municipality. Meanwhile, a P2 million grant for the Provincial Government of Batanes will be used for the procurement of housing materials for families who lost their houses during Typhoon Kiko in September 2021.
“This will definitely augment our efforts to complete the repair and construction of the damaged houses of the victims,” Batanes Provincial Government Office Liaison Officer Aurora Cultura said.
PAGCOR also donated P524,000 to Barangay La Purisima Nuevo in Ocampo, Camarines Sur for the provision of a utility vehicle for emergency response and solid waste management.