PAGCOR officials led by Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (3rd from right), President and COO Alfred Lim (2nd from right), Director Carmen Pedrosa (2nd from left) and Asst. VP for Community Relations Arnell Ignacio (left) join Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (3rd from left) and Resorts World Foundation and Travellers International President Kingson Sian (4th from left) in the capsule laying for the drug treatment and rehabilitation center to be built by Resorts World Foundation in Davao City.

MALAGOS, Davao City – As the government intensifies its crackdown on illegal drug abuse, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and Resorts World Philippines Cultural Heritage Foundation Inc. (Resorts World Foundation) led the groundbreaking and capsule laying ceremony of the Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center here on December 6, 2016.

Their partner agencies, the Department of Health (DOH) and the City Government of Davao, represented by DOH Asst. Secretary for Mindanao Cluster Dr. Abdullah Dumama and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, also graced the event.

Funded by Resorts World Foundation, (the beneficiary foundation of Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., “Travellers”), the drug rehabilitation facility will be built on a 19,909 square meter lot in Malagos, Davao City. Its target completion date will be on December 2017.

The two-storey building will house an infirmary, administrative office, staff quarters, dormitory, laundry area, dining hall, and recreation area, among others. Its design which has been approved by the DOH is patterned after the existing treatment and rehabilitation centers in the country.

PAGCOR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Domingo who graced the ground breaking ceremony said the drug treatment and rehabilitation project came into fruition when Travellers’ Vice Chairman Andrew Tan paid her a courtesy visit in PAGCOR.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (third from right) signs the blueprint of the drug treatment and rehabilitation center to be built by Resorts World Foundation in Malagos, Davao City. Present during the facility’s groundbreaking are (from left) PAGCOR Director Rene Concordia and Carmen Pedrosa, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Resorts World Foundation and Travellers International President Kingson Sian, PAGCOR President and COO Alfred Lim, Department of Health Asst. Secretary for Mindanao Health Cluster Dr. Abdullah Dumama and PAGCOR Chief of Staff Arthel Caronongan.


PAGCOR Board members led by Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo (7th from left) together with other PAGCOR officials join Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (4th from left) and Resorts World Foundation and Travellers International President Kingson Sian (6th from left) in a photo opportunity during the recent groundbreaking ceremony of the treatment and rehabilitation center for drug dependents in Davao City.

“He said that he would like to put up two drug rehabilitation centers. We suggested to put one in Davao to service other surrounding areas in Mindanao. We likewise asked Travellers to put the other one in Camp Bagong Diwa,” she said.

“While PAGCOR and its licensees like Travellers do not have law enforcement functions to help arrest the people behind the drug menace, we can somehow help in the rehabilitation of the victims of drug abuse,” Domingo added.

Kingson Sian, President of Travellers and Resorts World Foundation meanwhile said the drug treatment and rehabilitation project is a manifestation of their support to the government in its fight against illegal drug abuse.

“Today, we are partnering with PAGCOR, the local government of Davao and the DOH to establish this world-class center for rehabilitation of drug dependents here in Davao.  We hope that this project will serve as a lasting and meaningful contribution to the government’s effort to make our country a better one under the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte. We are grateful for PAGCOR Chairman Andrea Domingo and PAGCOR President Alfred Lim for their guidance and support in this priority project,” he said in a speech.

Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio who was likewise present during the event expressed her gratitude to Resorts World Foundation and PAGCOR for choosing their city as the pilot site of the drug treatment and rehabilitation project.

”This facility will enable more drug dependents to wean off their destructive habits, lead more productive lives and contribute to nation-building. With the construction of this facility, we hope to encourage other localities to find ways to improve their drug rehabilitation centers so we can attain our collective aspirations of a drug-free Philippines.”

Also present during the ground breaking ceremony were PAGCOR President and COO Alfred Lim, PAGCOR Directors Rene Concordia and Carmen Pedrosa, PAGCOR department heads, DOH representatives and officials of Resorts World Foundation.

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