Sat| 2.05.2022 | 6:30 PM

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (2nd from left) turns over to Lubao Municipal Mayor Esmeralda Pineda P25 million or the first tranche of the P50 million funding for the construction of a multi-purpose evacuation center in Barangay Sta. Catalina. With them in photo are former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (extreme left) and Pampanga Vice Governor Lilia Pineda (extreme right).

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (4th from left) and Lubao Municipal Mayor Esmeralda Pineda (5th from right) lead the burying of the time capsule to formalize the building of a P50 million-multi-purpose evacuation center in the town. Photo also shows (from left) PAGCOR Corporate Secretary and VP for Compliance and Governance Group Juanito Sanosa, Jr., PAGCOR VP for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Ramon Stephen Villaflor, Casino Filipino Angeles General Manager Redentor Rivera, Pampanga Vice Governor Lilia Pineda, former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo and Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda.

The barangay health workers of Barangay Taugtog in Botolan, Zambales express excitement over the construction of a permanent evacuation center in their town.

PAGCOR officers and Botolan municipal officials, led by PAGCOR VP for Corporate Social Responsibility Group Ramon Stephen Villaflor (4th from left) and Mayor Doris Maniquiz (5th from right), pose for a photo opportunity during the ceremonial turnover of a P50 million funding for the multi-purpose evacuation center project in the town. With them are (from left) Acting Assistant VP for Community Relations and Services Department Eric Balcos, Casino Filipino Olongapo Branch Manager Rafael Paterno, Assistant VP for Corporate Communications Carmelita Valdez, Municipal Vice Mayor Doris Ladines and other local officials.

An elderly couple residing in the coastal community of Barangay Bangan in Botolan, Zambales fix their fishnet. Bangan is among the communities in the province commonly affected by heavy floodings and storm surges.

TWO more multi-purpose evacuation centers funded by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) will soon rise in the provinces of Pampanga and Zambales following separate groundbreaking rites to formally commence said projects.

The town of Lubao in Pampanga became the latest recipient of the MPEC project after PAGCOR bankrolled the building of permanent emergency structures in flood prone areas around the country.

During the groundbreaking ceremony held in Barangay Sta. Catalina on February 3, 2022, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo personally turned over to the Lubao municipal government an initial funding of P25 million to immediately begin the construction of the facility, which is worth P50 million. The PAGCOR chief was joined in the event by former President and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda, Vice Governor Lilia Pineda, Pampanga 2nd District Representative Juan Miguel Arroyo and Lubao Municipal Mayor Esmeralda Pineda.

Domingo said the building of the additional MPEC in Pampanga will help ensure that the majority of the people in the province will have safe and comfortable places to stay when certain calamities strike and evacuation is necessary.

“Unlike before when most people would just run to schools to seek refuge when they needed to evacuate their homes during emergency situations, those that will be needing temporary shelters in the future will now have facilities that are really intended to accommodate individuals and families displaced by various calamities,” she explained.

In her speech, Mayor Pineda thanked PAGCOR for providing their town with a structure that can also host various activities and special events when not utilized as an evacuation facility.

“Napakalaking tulong po nitong evacuation center na ibinigay ng PAGCOR dahil dito pa lamang sa Lubao ay lima na ang aming coastal barangays na palaging naaapektuhan ng matinding pagbaha,” Pineda said. She added that the MPEC that will be built in their town will benefit most residents of the province’s 2nd and 4th districts.

Meanwhile, even if the initial phase of construction of the MPEC in Botolan, Zambales is already underway, the town’s government still held a formal groundbreaking ceremony with key PAGCOR officers in what is soon to be named as Kalighawan Government Center in Barangay Taugtog on February 4, 2022. Botolan already received from PAGCOR P25 million or the first tranche of the P50 million funding for the project last December.

According to Botolan Municipal Mayor Doris Maniquiz, the state-run gaming firm could not have chosen a better town in the province to fund a permanent evacuation facility as the majority of its over 76,000 population living near the sea always face the danger of heavy flooding and storm surges during extreme weather disturbances.

“Madalas pong ma-displace ang napakarami po naming residente na nakatira malapit sa dagat dahil kapag tumaas ang tubig, lubog agad ang kanilang mga tahanan. Kaya’t talagang kailangang-kailangan po namin dito sa aming bayan ng malaki, ligtas at komportableng masisilungan ng aming mga kababayan sa tuwing kakailanganin silang palikasin,” she related.

Thirty-four-year-old Ricagin Santos, a longtime resident of Barangay Bangan, which is among the coastal communities in Botolan town commonly affected by damaging floods, narrated that she and her neighbors have gotten used to being evacuated whenever a strong typhoon hits the province. But the difficulties they experience seeking temporary shelter in schools sometimes make them decide to just stay in their homes and instead confront the dangers brought by the disaster.

“Sanay na po kaming inililikas tuwing may banta ng matinding pagbaha dito sa aming lugar, pero madalas, naiisip po naming harapin na lang ang panganib ng pagbaha kaysa mag-evacuate sa mga eskwelahan na siksikan ang mga tao at pwedeng magkahawa-hawa kung mayroong may sakit. Nagpapasalamat po kami na magkakaroon na po pala kami ng maayos na matutuluyan sa mga panahon ng sakuna,” she said.

To date, PAGCOR has already released a total of P1.660 billion for the construction of 68 MPECs in various parts of the country.

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