THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is holding its biggest ever gift-giving activity this Yuletide Season with more than 8,600 less privileged Filipinos under the care of 41 institutions nationwide as beneficiaries.

Dubbed “Bayanihan: Pamaskong Handog ng PAGCOR 2012”, the agency has allocated P26.7 million to fund its grand gift-giving mission that runs from November 29 to December 20, 2012.

Among the beneficiaries are indigent patients confined in several state hospitals; orphans; abandoned and abused children; the elderly; the disabled and physically handicapped; street children; cultural minorities; special children diagnosed with mental retardation, autism and multiple disabilities; children in conflict with the law; women with serious mental disorders, poor families and communities; cancer-stricken children, and street sweepers.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat, Jr. noted that the agency’s “Pamaskong Handog” event this year is made more special by the “bayanihan” component in several institutions. “Likas na sa ating mga Pilipino ang “bayanihan” o ang pagtulong sa kapwa natin na nangangailangan. We want to highlight this unique Filipino trait in our Pamaskong Handog for 2012”.

He explained that aside from helping the less fortunate, PAGCOR’s “Pamaskong Handog” event this year also aims to strengthen the spirit of volunteerism among the corporation’s employees. “We are encouraging our employees to share their time, talent and capabilities in our mission to bring joy to others,” he added.

PAGCOR employees are helping in the construction of structures in several institutions for the long-term use of their wards. “Through this initiative, PAGCOR can leave behind a valuable and lasting legacy to our beneficiaries long after our Christmas gift-giving activity is over,” Naguiat noted.

Among the institutions in Metro Manila that will receive lasting Christmas gifts from PAGCOR is the Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital which will be given a halfway house for nursing mothers. The half-way house will serve as breastfeeding station for indigent mothers whose newborn babies are confined at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital due to premature birth and other conditions. The half-way house is being constructed by PAGCOR’s employees from the Property and General Services Department.

The National Children’s Hospital on the other hand will have newly renovated and repainted patients’ wards courtesy of PAGCOR. “Apart from the renovation that our employees are doing for the hospital, we will also be donating one mechanical ventilator, three units of infusion pump and three units of syringe pump to the National Children’s Hospital for the use of patients diagnosed with leukemia, nephrotic syndrome, congestive heart failure and haemophilia,” Naguiat explained.

Other institutions in Metro Manila that will be getting “bayanihan” components in PAGCOR’s “Pamaskong Handog 2012” are the Lingap Pangkabataan, Inc. Soldiers’ Hills Elementary School, Tondo Medical Center, Pasay Youth Homes, Create a Job for the Disabled Association, Inc., and the Philippine Orthopedic Hospital.

Naguiat said that PAGCOR will also share its blessings with institutions from various provinces hosting a Casino Filipino branch. “We will help provide better facilities and equipment to several institutions in Angeles, Bacolod, Cebu, Laoag, Tagaytay, Olongapo and Davao. This would hopefully help the institutions provide better service to their beneficiaries.”

The Gawad Kalinga (GK) Tabun in Pampanga will be given assistance in the renovation and repainting of their multi-purpose halls, day care center and comfort rooms. The St. Vincent’s Home in Bacolod City which takes care of abandoned elderly will have their ceilings, comfort rooms and recreation areas renovated and repainted, while the Southern Philippines Medical Center (Davao Mental Hospital) will have their recreational areas and out-patient lounge repaired and repainted.

PAGCOR’s Pamaskong Handog event began in December 2010 under the initiative of the agency’s new management as part of its core commitment to reach out to the less privileged sectors of society. The successful staging of the “Pamaskong Handog ng PAGCOR: 12 Days of Christmas” in 2010 inspired the new PAGCOR management to make the event a yearly tradition.

When PAGCOR marked its silver year in 2011, the state-owned gaming firm decided to forego a lavish anniversary celebration. Instead, the agency opted to hold a bigger and longer Christmas gift-giving event that lasted for 25 days. Dubbed “Pamaskong Handog 2011: 25 Days of Christmas, 25 Years of PAGCOR”, the project symbolically represented PAGCOR’s 25 years of commitment to responsible gaming and community development by sharing its blessings with more than 7,000 beneficiaries in 36 institutions nationwide. PAGCOR allocated a hefty P25 million for this endeavour.

“PAGCOR’s mission has always been to help uplift the lives of the less fortunate. Christmas is always the perfect time for us to make them happy. They are the reason why we are here and our employees know that the work they do help make a difference in the lives of so many Filipinos,” he added.

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