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Mercy should not demean: PAGCOR launches 'PAGkain Para sa Masa'
Mercy should not demean: PAGCOR launches 'PAGkain Para sa Masa'
To help provide healthy meals to some low-income families in urban communities, the top management of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation’s (PAGCOR) have volunteered to pool their personal funds and launched a food caravan project on Tuesday, May 4.
Called “PAGkain Para sa Masa,” the endeavor was a brainchild of the PAGCOR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Andrea Domingo. “Nakita ko ang mga pumipila doon sa mga food distribution outlets, isang kilometro na ang pila, alas kwatro ng umaga kumukuha na ng kakaunting gulay (I saw the people queuing at the food distribution outlets, a kilometer away, at four in the morning they were picking up some vegetables),” she said.
As the ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continues to affect the livelihood of many Filipinos, PAGCOR’s Executive Committee members and friends contributed out of their own pockets to buy food items for distribution to households that are in dire need of help.
“Mercy should not demean, instead, it should show genuine concern,” Domingo said. “This is why we launched this project,” she added.
Domingo said that the project aims to distribute healthy food items such as fresh produce to those who really cannot afford to buy basic meals for their families. “We have already pooled initial funding from our colleagues, friends, and volunteer employees,” she explained.
The goods to be distributed to communities, Domingo said, will be composed mainly of fresh vegetables, which are directly sourced from farmers whose sources of livelihood are also affected by the lockdowns.
Domingo said that through the help of the Department of Agriculture (DA), PAGCOR was able to buy directly from the farmers.
“The purchasing power of our funds were doubled when we bought the vegetables directly from the farmers. Thus, we were able to buy two kilos of vegetables instead of one kilo had we gotten them from other sources,” Domingo said. “This way also, we are able to provide income for our farmers,” she added.
Domingo added that the volunteerism among, not only the managers of PAGCOR but also the rest of the 11,000 employees, “make them appreciate the blessings they have and the joy of sharing these with the less fortunate.”
The “PAGkain Para sa Masa” project, PAGCOR said, is similar to a food caravan where the items will be brought directly to pre-determined beneficiaries to ensure that long queues are avoided while health protocols are strictly observed.
The project will be initially rolled out on Wednesday, May 5, in Quezon City.
