Disaster Relief Operations

PAGCOR provides immediate response to victims of calamity and natural disasters. In 2020 alone, the agency conducted relief operations and distributed relief packs (food and non-food items) to victims of calamities in affected areas nationwide totaling P17.41 million. Food packs contained rice, canned goods and other grocery items, while the non- food packs contained blankets, mosquito nets, slippers and hygiene kits.

When typhoon Rolly hit the country in November 2020, PAGCOR immediately delivered relief essentials to the provinces of Albay and Camarines Sur. Majority of the typhoon victims lost their homes to devastating winds and heavy rains. The agency’s volunteer employees braved heavily damaged roads and the long drive from Manila to Bicol just to bring necessary aid to the beneficiaries.

Immediate relief also reached thousands of families in Cagayan when PAGCOR delivered essential goods to distant communities, which were likewise devastated by floods brought by Typhoon Ulysses that also hit the country in November 2020. Flood victims in Marikina City likewise got swift assistance from the agency

PAGCOR Village

PAGCOR also unveiled its newest charitable project in the PAGCOR Village, to safeguard the living condition of locals affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano in January 2020.

A brainchild project of PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo, the PAGCOR Villages broke ground in the towns of Agoncillo and Lemery on February 18, 2021. They are designed to provide permanent shelters to less privileged families who were displaced by Taal’s eruption. Most of these families remain homeless until now. Each PAGCOR Village has a funding of P30 million. Its main features include 100 units of 30-square-meter houses and an arc or signage located at the entrance of the project site.

Medical Assistance

PAGCOR supports the promotion of key health-related programs of the government by providing financial assistance to state-run hospitals. Last February 2021, the agency donated P123.6 million to Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) to bankroll a two-storey halfway house or dormitory for the families and watchers of soldiers confined in the hospital.

The agency likewise allotted P53.22 million for the Armed Forces of the Philippines Health Service Command (AFPHSC) for the construction of a halfway house at the V. Luna Medical Center (formerly V. Luna Hospital). The five-storey halfway house with 35 rooms and 125 beds will be used by the families or watchers of the soldiers confined at the health facility. PAGCOR likewise turned over P40 million to the University of the Philippines Los Baños–University Health Service (UPLB-UHS) for the renovation of the UPLB-University Health Services Operating Room Complex including the upgrade of the hospital’s equipment.

Apart from that, PAGCOR also donated P350 million funding to Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) for the procurement of Linear Accelerator Machine, an apparatus used for cancer treatment, aside from chemotherapy. SPMC also received P184 million from PAGCOR in 2018, for the purchase of medical equipment that will cater to women and newborn’s sensitive health conditions.

PAGCOR also granted P421 million funding to the Department of National Defense (DND) in 2019, for the purchase of eight forward treatment facilities for the Philippine Army, which will help them provide immediate surgical procedures for ground troops during military operations.

Aside from helping state-run hospitals, PAGCOR continues to help less-privileged citizens through providing financial support. In 2020, the agency granted financial medical assistance to individuals/beneficiaries amounting to P20.37 million and financial grants to Local Government Units, Non-government organizations, and other government agencies and individual beneficiaries amounting to P30.45 million.

Bakwit Village

PAGCOR, in partnership with the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) provided housing units, educational and livelihood facilities to the locals of war-torn Marawi City. As of December 2019, PAGCOR and POGO turned over a total of 130 housing units to the displaced families. Aside from that, 20 livelihood stalls and two educational buildings were also donated to help create livelihood and educational opportunities for the locals. Financial assistance was also given to 20 families as start-up fund for the intended small businesses.

School Kits for Kids

The School Kits for Kids Project aims to help underprivileged public elementary school students by giving them school supplies which their parents could not usually afford. The project is also anchored on President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive for PAGCOR to prioritize projects that cater to the needs of less fortunate Filipinos. PAGCOR allocated a total budget of P33.12 million for the purchase of at least 30,000 school kits for distribution to public school students nationwide. Since the project’s launch in August 2016, PAGCOR has already distributed school kits to thousands of elementary pupils in Pampanga, Bicol, Bacolod, Davao, Cebu, Masbate, Ilocos Norte, Manila, Mandaluyong, Parañaque, and Quezon City.

Brigada Eskwela

Since 2012, PAGCOR employees have been actively taking part in the “Brigada Eskwela” project in response to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) invitation to various sectors to participate in the Annual National Schools Maintenance Week. For school year 2017-2018, PAGCOR allotted P2 million for 22 public schools nationwide.

Kasibulan Grassroot Football

The “Kasibulan” Grassroots Football is a nationwide athletic development program being undertaken by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) through the financial backing of PAGCOR. The state-owned gaming firm provided an initial funding of P20 million to the project to help promote the sport of football among children aged 6 to 12 years old. The program also seeks to produce potential talents who will represent the country in future international football competitions, specifically the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2019. About 60,000 children have so far participated in Kasibulan football festivals held across the country.

Kapit-Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig

PAGCOR gave a P20 million funding for “Kapit-Bisig para sa Ilog Pasig” project spearheaded by ABS-CBN Foundation. The funding was used for the rehabilitation of the Estero de Paco and Paco Market. The financial aid donated for this project is part of PAGCOR’s advocacy on the preservation of the environment and a way of helping restore the Pasig River which is regarded as one of our country’s historical landmarks.