The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has donated P123.6 million to Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) to bankroll a building project as well as to two other beneficiaries.
PAGCOR, in a statement, said that VMMC sought its assistance to construct a two-storey halfway house or dormitory for the families and watchers of soldiers confined in the hospital.
VMMC Public Relations Unit Chief Juanito Montefalcon on Feb. 24 personally received the check from PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo, who was joined in the brief turnover rites by the agency’s President and COO Alfredo Lim and Directors Carmen Pedrosa and Reynaldo Concordia.
The proposed halfway house was originally planned to be a three-storey structure, but VMMC Director Dr. Dominador Chiong, Jr. said that they instead decided to build a two-storey building due to the issue of height elevation.
Chiong, in a letter dated Sept. 28, 2020, stated that the hospital took into consideration the difficulty that elder guests may encounter during their stay in the dormitory. He also noted the “hazard that a high structure may cause to helicopters landing at the helipad near the proposed site.”
Meanwhile, the state-run gaming firm also provided cash aids to Southern Police District (SPD) and Philippine Red Cross (PRC) on the said date in separate turnover ceremonies held at the agency’s Executive Office in Malate, Manila.
PAGCOR granted P4.3 million to the district to procure 10 units of 650cc motorcycles to be used by its operatives in support of SPD’s commitment to immediately address the safety concerns among the cities and commercial centers within its command.
SPD District Director Police Brigadier General Eliseo Cruz said that they need to promote a more proactive community in crime prevention through continuing police visibility and for faster police response.
“Unfortunately, SPD is incapable of providing motorcycles due to unavailability of resources, resulting in the delay of response during crisis situations,” Cruz said. “We’re very thankful that PAGCOR heeded our request for financial assistance to enable us to realize our commitment to effectively safeguard the security of those within our district,” he added.
The Philippine Red Cross Pampanga-Angeles City Chapter (PRC-PACC), represented by its Officer-In-Charge Rowena Flores, also received P3.5 million from PAGCOR in another turnover ceremony.
The said assistance was for the procurement of two vans that would help transport PRC-PACC’s personnel and various blood collecting equipment paraphernalia during blood collection programs and in events of calamities and disasters.
PAGCOR said that providing these assistance is in line with its role in the promotion of key health-related programs of the government.