Thu | 01.21.2020 | 08:00 AM

A Taal evacuee in Alfonso, Cavite flashes a smile after receiving a PAGCOR relief pack.


Candida Rodriguez, 52 (middle), an evacuee from Laurel, Batangas receives a relief pack from PAGCOR's Vice President for Community Relations Jimmy Bondoc (left) and Casino Filipino Branch Manager Victor Crisostomo (right).


PAGCOR representatives personally distributed relief goods during the relief-giving activities in Tagaytay City and Alfonso, Cavite. Around 4,300 families affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas and Cavite benefited from the initial phase of the agency's relief operations.

THE Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has already chosen 11 sites nationwide where its Multipurpose Evacuation Center (MPEC) project will be constructed.  This is the latest development in one of the agency’s major plans in fulfillment of its mandate to help uplift the lives of the Filipinos.

Following ocular inspections and evaluation of the locations identified as calamity-prone, PAGCOR submitted the list of the areas to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to ascertain the implementation of the project.

The state-run gaming firm has allocated a total of P2 billion to build permanent structures in various parts of the country that will be used to accommodate victims of calamities such as supertyphoons, floods and volcanic eruptions, as well as for other community endeavors.

Meanwhile, PAGCOR visited 11 temporary evacuation centers in Bauan, Batangas and Indang, Alfonso, Mendez, Amadeo and Tagaytay in Cavite during the first phase of its relief activities from January 15 to 17, 2020 to distribute relief packs to the 4,000 families displaced by the eruption of Taal Volcano.

The agency donated non-food items like mosquito nets, slippers, detergent soaps, hygiene kits and blankets. Some employees also pooled their resources to donate rice, water and used clothes.

Among the thousands of evacuees that PAGCOR was able to reach out to was Candida Rodriguez, a 52-year-old native of Laurel, Batangas who was supposed to spend a relaxing weekend with family and friends when Taal Volcano suddenly spewed ash on the afternoon of January 12, 2020.

“Mabilis pong masyado ang mga pangyayari. May napansin kaming maliit na usok sa bulkan pero ilang sandali lang, biglang tumaas ito hanggang sa tuluyan nang nag-alburoto. Nag-panic po talaga kami. May nagmagandang-loob na tumulong sa amin para makalikas. Ngunit sa tindi ng traffic sa kalsada, inabot kami ng mahigit limang oras bago makarating sa evacuation center,” she tearfully narrated.

Rodriguez’s family temporarily stays at an evacuation site in Mendez, Cavite.

Apart from bringing relief to the Taal evacuees, PAGCOR has also been providing much-needed assistance to tens of thousands of individuals in an ongoing humanitarian mission for earthquake victims in Mindanao.

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