Fri| 10.29.2021 | 4:30 PM

PAGCOR President COO Alfredo Lim and other PAGCOR executives join the local officials of Dasmariñas City during the groundbreaking of the Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center that will soon rise in the city's Brgy. Langkaan 2.

Dasmariñas City resident Sanchica Valderian and her family are among the fire victims who are temporarily housed in tents at their barangay’s covered court.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea D. Domingo (4th from left) turns over to Tagkawayan Mayor Luis Oscar Eleazar (5th from left) the check representing the first tranche -- or P25 million of the P50 million funding -- for the construction of a Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center in the municipality.

Also present during the event are (from left) PAGCOR Directors Jimmy Bondoc and Gabriel Claudio, President and COO Alfredo Lim and Tagkawayan Municipal Treasurer Nestor Grefaldeo.

After releasing the funds to jumpstart the construction of Multi-Purpose Evacuation Centers (MPECs) in four provinces a week earlier, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) led the groundbreaking of an evacuation center in Dasmariñas, Cavite on October 28, 2021.

During the event, PAGCOR formally released the first tranche -- or P25 million of the P50 million grant -- to the local government of Dasmariñas for a two-storey structure. But the local government of Dasmariñas expressed its intention to adjust the building into a three-storey structure by contributing additional funds. The PAGCOR-funded MPEC in the city will be built in Brgy. Langkaan 2.

PAGCOR's President and Chief Operating Officer Alfredo Lim, who graced the event shared that the agency's MPEC project is one of PAGCOR's ways of helping mitigate the impact of climate change in the country.

"It is not unknown to us that considering our country’s geography, we are constantly visited by strong typhoons, causing damage to public and private properties, as well as loss of lives. The MPEC project is part of PAGCOR’s contributions to our country to address the lack of comfortable and typhoon-resilient evacuation centers in times of calamities,". he said.

Meanwhile, Cavite's 4th District Representative Elpidio Barzaga, Jr. and Dasmariñas Mayor Jennifer Barzaga expressed their gratitude to PAGCOR for funding the MPEC project.

“Alam niyo naman ang lungsod ng Dasmariñas ay isa sa may pinakamaraming tao sa buong Pilipinas. Approximately, we have 1 million residents. At marami rin sa aming mga kababayan ay mahirap sapagkat we have a very big resettlement area. Kung panahon ng tag-araw, ang problema namin ay ang pagkakaroon ng sunog. Ang pinaglalagyan lamang naming evacuation center happens to be our covered court,” Congressman Barzaga narrated.

Such is the case of 55-year-old resident Sanchica Valderian, a housewife with six children who solely relies on her husband’s income as a construction worker.

In April 2021, the Valderian family's house was reduced to ashes after a fire broke in their community. “Na-shock ako nung time na nasusunog na 'yung bahay. Naunahan na ako ng nerbyos eh. Wala na akong nagawa. Basta nabitbit ko na lang yung isang bag na puro birth certificate ng anak ko,” shared Valderian, whose family has been temporarily housed in their barangay’s covered court.

While their situation is far from ideal as they get soaked whenever it rains, Valderian is hopeful that locals like them will soon benefit from the bigger and more comfortable PAGCOR-funded MPEC.

“Malaking tulong po iyon sa mga tulad naming kailangan ilikas kapag may emergency. Tulad nito, wala naman kaming ibang mapuntahan, sa covered court lang talaga,”said Sanchica.

Aside from Dasmariñas City, the municipality of Tagkawayan, Quezon received the first tranche -- or P25 million of the P50 million MPEC funding on October 27, 2021.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo turned over the check to Mayor Luis Oscar Eleazar. The municipality of Tagkawayan is one of the typhoon-prone areas in Quezon province. But similar to Dasmariñas, locals only use the municipality’s covered court and classrooms as evacuation centers whenever calamities strike.

To date, PAGCOR has released a total of P1.109 billion to start the construction of 50 MPECs nationwide since the project's launch in 2020. Said amount represents the first tranche or 50% of PAGCOR's committed funding for the MPEC project.

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