Thu | 03.12.2020 | 05:00 PM

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) turned over P2 billion to the Office of the President on March 11, 2020 to help fund the government’s efforts in its fight against corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

"The P2 billion was remitted to the Socio-Civic Projects Fund (SCPF) under the Office of the President in response to Proclamation No. 922, declaring a State of Public Health Emergency throughout the Philippines brought about by the COVID-19 virus," said PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea D. Domingo.

She further stated that the government has been addressing the need for additional funds to support the Department of Health (DOH) in combating the pandemic. Among these are the procurement of personal protective equipment, operating expenses of the Bureau of Quarantine and support for the tests being conducted by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).

“The number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in the Philippines is rising and President Rodrigo Duterte already declared a state of public health emergency because of this. We want to help the concerned agencies in the fight against and containment of this deadly disease. Hence, we immediately provided the P2 billion funding which we directly remitted to the SCPF,” Domingo added.

The provision of the SCPF, according to Domingo, is pursuant to Section 7 (a) of Presidential Decree No. 1869 or the PAGCOR Charter that mandates the allocation and distribution of earnings of the corporation earmarked for infrastructure and socio-civic projects.

The PAGCOR chief also noted that due to the sustained income of PAGCOR from its gaming operations, the agency was able to allocate hefty amounts that fund various projects of the government.

“In 2019, we recorded P75.8 billion in gaming revenues, and among our biggest sources are our slot machine operations, electronic bingo, table games operations, regulatory fees from the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) and licensed casinos. Our remarkable revenues translate to increased remittances to our government and more help for Filipinos in-need,” Domingo shared.

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