Sun | 05.16.2021 | 12:00 PM

Barangay Captain Jojo Abad of Batasan Hills, Quezon City, expresses his gratitude to PAGCOR for considering their barangay as one of the beneficiaries of “PAGkain para sa Masa” food caravan.

A total of 300 barangay healthcare frontliners, workers, street sweepers, and garbage collectors in Batasan Hills, Quezon City receive food packs from PAGCOR’s “PAGkain para sa Masa” project.

Frontline workers of Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City maintain social distancing as they receive the food packs from PAGCOR’s “PAGkain para sa Masa” food caravan.

Barangay Staff Erlinda Natavio of Batasan Hills gladly shows the goods she received from PAGCOR which include vegetables, canned goods and rice.

Seventy-one-year-old street sweeper Elenita Canete from Payatas, Quezon City is one of the beneficiaries of PAGCOR’s “PAGkain para sa Masa” food caravan project.

Three hundred barangay healthcare frontliners, workers, street sweepers, and garbage collectors in Payatas Quezon City benefited from PAGCOR’s “PAGkain para sa Masa.”

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) continues to pour out much-needed relief to Filipinos who are affected by the pandemic. On the second and third roll-out of the agency’s “PAGkain para sa Masa” food caravan project, the agency distributed food packs to 600 barangay healthcare frontliners, workers, street sweepers, and garbage collectors in Batasan Hills and Payatas – two of the most populated barangays in Quezon City.

The goods, which were packed in a pail, were composed mainly of vegetables directly sourced from local farmers, canned goods and rice.

PAGCOR’s Vice President for Enterprise Services Group Ricardo Faraon, who joined the distribution of food packs, said barangay workers deserve to be recognized as they are also at the forefront of the fight against the pandemic.

“Araw-araw, ang ating frontliners ay nakikipag-laban sa pandemyang ito. Higit pa sa anyong panlabas, ang inyong puhunan ay ang inyong puso at tapang ng dibdib na maglingkod sa barangay. Dahil dito, kayo ay kinikilala ng PAGCOR,” he expressed.

Faraon added that PAGCOR, as an institution, has been helping thousands of Filipinos through building schools, conducting relief operations in times of calamity, donating funds to various agencies, among others. But the “PAGkain para sa Masa” is different because PAGCOR does not use its funds to help.

“Ang ginamit namin para maisagawa ang proyektong ito ay ang voluntary contribution ng Executive Committee members, managers, employees at friends ng PAGCOR. Ito ay maliit na ambag lang namin para sa mga tunay na bayani ng pandemyang ito, na walang iba kundi ang ating frontline workers,” Faraon said.

According to Barangay Captain Jojo Abad of Batasan Hills, their barangay is one of the most populated areas in Quezon City with around 200,000 residents. Seventy percent of the population are informal settlers.

Their barangay also has the highest COVID-19 positive cases in the National Capital Region with a total of 3,423 cases and 41 deaths since the pandemic hit last year.

Abad likewise expressed his gratitude to PAGCOR for considering their barangay as beneficiaries of “PAGkain para sa Masa.” He said their workers seldom receive goods because most of the time, they are the ones who provide help to their constituents.

“Bibihira ang mabigyan ng tulong na frontliners. Nagpapa-salamat kami sa PAGCOR na nakita ang paghihirap ng aming mga barangay workers. Hindi dahil frontliner kami ay marami kaming biyaya, at hindi lahat ng empleyado ay maganda ang sahod, kaya itong blessing na ibinigay sa amin ng PAGCOR, sobrang pasasalamat namin,” Abad said.

Meanwhile, Barangay Payatas Captain Manuel Guarin said they have a population of 230,000 and many of their residents are badly affected by the pandemic. Currently, they have 250 recorded positive cases and 32 deaths.

“Sa dami ng mamamayan, talagang mahirap ang kalagayan dahil hindi sila makapaghanap-buhay ng maayos. Pero marami pa rin naman ang nagbibigay ng ayuda. Nagpapasalamat kami dahil kahit papaano, napansin kami ng PAGCOR pati ang aming mga kawani sa barangay. Maliit lang ang allowance ng frontliners namin, pero patuloy pa din ang kanilang paglilingkod,” Guarin expressed.

“PAGkain Para sa Masa” is a brainchild of PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo. It aims to provide healthy food items to communities in-need. Activities will continue in the coming weeks to reach as many needy individuals in urban areas as possible.

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