With a few more days left before Christmas, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) continues to bring Yuletide cheer to the needy and less fortunate sectors of society.

On the ninth day of PAGCOR’s Pamaskong Handog 2015, the state-owned gaming firm reached out to the handicapped, visually and hearing impaired individuals and persons with intellectual disability under the care of the National Vocational Rehabilitation Center (NVRC) in Quezon City.

A total of 120 wards of NVRCP received early Christmas gifts from PAGCOR. “This is the first time that an organization sponsored a Christmas gift-giving party for us na ganito kalaki. We are blessed and honored na ang NVRC ang isa sa mga napili ng PAGCOR na bahaginan ng blessings. Sana ito po yung simula ng partnership between PAGCOR and NVRC para sa ikakabuti ng aming mga wards,” NVRC Social Welfare Officer Vivian Gabriel said.

Apart from the gift-giving, the beneficiaries were also entertained by the country’s bossa nova queen Sitti Navarro, the PAGCOR Voice Symphony and PAGCOR’s homegrown talent Joyce Tañaña.

Eduardo de Guzman, the Assistant Vice President of PAGCOR’s Slot Machine Department, said the agency’s gift-giving activity is one way of letting the less fortunate know that PAGCOR cares for them. “Masayang masaya kaming mga empleyado ng PAGCOR. Kahit kaunting panahon lang ay nakapagbigay tayo ng kasiyahan sa mga kapuspalad na narito ngayon sa NVRC. We are fortunate that we are given a chance to share our blessings. Kahit simpleng aginaldo lang, alam namin na malaking bagay ito para sa ating mga beneficiaries,” de Guzman added.

On the other hand, Col. Byron Tabangay who heads PAGCOR’s Security Department said he is proud that the employees of the state-owned gaming firm are voluntarily taking part in the various gift-giving activities for this year’s Pamaskong Handog. “Lagi namang generous sa pagtulong ang mga PAGCORians, lalo na pag ganitong panahon ng kapaskuhan,” Tabangay said.

Founded in June 1954, NVRC caters to the orthopedically handicapped, visually impaired (blind), hearing impaired and persons with intellectually disability (including those with autism and mental patients).

The institution teaches social rehabilitation to their clients. “We teach them independent social skills which include the interaction skills with their peers who have disability as well.  They are also taught how to accept their disability and the difficulty that they would encounter in finding jobs. We also help them find the right jobs through the NVRC trainings that we provide,” Gabriel said.

Among the courses that NVRC offers are Cosmetology, Massage Therapy, Food Management, House Keeping, Sewing, Electronics and Computer Hardware courses, and Carpentry. These training programs allow NVRC’s beneficiaries to get employment in salons, spas and cafeterias or start their own computer and mobile phone repair business.

Apart from Christmas gift packs, PAGCOR also gave away wheelchairs, sewing machines, hair dryers and hand blowers for the use of NVRC beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, 80 child laborers under the ‘Palengskwelahan’ in Tagum, Davao del Norte also received noche buena gift packs from PAGCOR through its Casino Filipino branch in Davao. Aside from the grocery items, the children also received school supplies, hygiene items, clothes and slippers.

The ‘Palengskwelahan’ is an informal school inside the Tagum City Public Market that reaches out to out-of-school youths (OSY) who earn a living by selling goods or helping in the market. The institution is being managed by the City Social Welfare and Development (CSWD) of Tagum.

According to Felina Etaoc of CSWD, some of these children have left their homes mainly due to problems within the family. “Dati ang mga batang ito ay estudyante pero dahil sa sitwasyon ng pamilya, particularly broken family, or hindi maganda ang treatment ng parents, they stay outside their homes. They stay on terminals, market or streets. Dun nila nakikita ang appreciation na hindi nila nakukuha sa pamilya nila,” she explained.

‘Palengskwelahan’ gives chance to out-of-school youths aged 6 to 15 years old to continue their schooling. At present, the institution has two classrooms for electronic learning and classroom instruction. “Naaawa ako sa kanilang kalagayan bilang mga trabahador sa palengke. At nagpapa-salamat ako sa mga regalong handog ng PAGCOR na nagbigay sa kanila ng kasiyahan ngayong kapaskuhan,” Etaoc said.

Meantime, Casino Filipino Tagum Satellite Branch Manager Estrella Luz Cabebe was also happy that PAGCOR employees in Davao were able to participate in the nationwide gift-giving activity of the agency.

“This is a great opportunity to share our blessings and we are very happy to become part of the Pamaskong Handog activity. I hope that through this simple celebration and simple sharing, we were able to give these children simple happiness,” Cabebe said.

Go back