Mon| 03.14.2022 | 4:00 PM

PAGCOR officers and Agoncillo town officials lead the flag ceremony during the groundbreaking of the first multi-purpose evacuation center in the municipality.

PAGCOR’s VP for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Ramon Stephen Villaflor (3rd from left) and Taal Municipal Mayor Fulgencio Mercado (2nd from right) bury the time capsule to formally commence the building of a PAGCOR-funded multi-purpose evacuation center in the town of Taal.

Agoncillo Municipal Mayor Daniel Reyes (2nd from right) awards a token of appreciation to PAGCOR’s VP for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Ramon Stephen Villaflor. The photo also shows municipal officials Eduardo Mendoza (extreme left) and Karen Olivina (extreme right) and PAGCOR’s Acting AVP for Community Relations and Services Eric Balcos (2nd from left).

THE province of Batangas will have more emergency shelters in areas commonly affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) earmarked an additional P80 million funding to build a multi-purpose evacuation center (MPEC) and a permanent residential site in two towns.

PAGCOR, together with the municipal officials of Agoncillo conducted the formal groundbreaking for the town’s first MPEC at the Barangay Pancipit Children’s Park. The community where the structure will be built is located some 14 kilometers away from the permanent danger zone. The first tranche of the P50 million worth of MPEC, amounting to P25 million, was released in December 2021.

Apart from getting cash assistance to construct an MPEC, Agoncillo was also a recipient of a P30 million funding from the state-run gaming firm in February 2021 to build a residential site for the Taal evacuees dubbed “PAGCOR Village, which is already 30 percent completed.

Agoncillo Mayor Daniel Reyes said the MPEC funded by PAGCOR will replace their previous evacuation center which collapsed after huge tremors caused by the restive Taal Volcano in 2020 weakened its foundations.

“Noong pumutok ang bulkan, kauna-unahan pong bumagsak ang aming evacuation center kaya’t napilitan pong lumikas ang aming mamamayan sa mga kalapit na bayan. Nang ako po’y magsalita sa Congreso, sinabi kong kailangan namin ng isang matibay na evacuation center na ngayon nga ay ipinagkaloob sa amin ng PAGCOR,” he noted in his speech.

In a message during the event, PAGCOR’s VP for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Ramon Stephen Villaflor related that the agency, under the leadership of Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo, has shifted its focus to the construction of evacuation centers to provide permanent emergency structures to communities that need them most.

"Previously, the flagship project of PAGCOR is the school buildings. However, since the need arose for evacuation centers and the schools we built are also being used as evacuation facilities, our Chairman Andrea Domingo sought to have facilities intended for such purpose alone. Para hindi na rin naaantala ang pag-aaral ng mga estudyante tuwing sumasapit ang mga panahon ng sakuna," he explained.

PAGCOR’s turnover of MPEC funding in Agoncillo coincided with the formal donation of P30 million to the town of Taal for the building of its own “PAGCOR Village on a one-hectare land in Barangay Iba. Taal was among those heavily affected by the eruption of the volcano that most of its residents were forced to flee to nearby municipalities for safety.

“Gusto naming maging model community itong PAGCOR Village dahil ayaw naming maramdaman ng mga taong ating ire-relocate na para lamang silang ipinatapon sa isang lugar na malayo sa kabihasnan,” said Taal Mayor Fulgencio Mercado, who boasted that the site of the village is just 10 minutes away from the town’s commercial center.

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