NIGHT OWL

In 2019, the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law was enacted to improve the delivery of health services to Filipino citizens. Among the fund sources for the implementation of the UHC is the income of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR). PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco said that, under the law, 50 percent of the agency’s remittances to the National Treasury will be allocated to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation(PhilHealth) to improve its benefit packages, which includes select medical and surgical procedures; expansion of case rates for hemodialysis up to 156 sessions; enhancement of Z benefit packages for selected orthopedic implants; post kidney transplant, breast cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer; open heart surgery for children (ventricular  septal  defect  and  tetralogy  of  fallot); and physical medicine and rehabilitation. From 2019 to 2021, PAGCOR has remitted ₱65.55 billion to the National Treasury, 50 percent of which or about ₱33 billion, is for the funding of the UHC Law. During the first quarter of 2023, PAGCOR has already contributed ₱8 billion to the National Treasury, which means half of it will be released to PhilHealth. Aside from funding the country’s universal health care program, PAGCOR helps fund other nation-building efforts by allocating a portion of its income to various mandated beneficiaries such as the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) to support its policies and strategies on drug prevention and control, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the President’s Social Fund,the Board of Claims (an agency under the Department of Justice to compensate victims of wrongful detention and prosecution),and cities hosting PAGCOR casinos for their respective community development projects. PAGCOR also funds the Sports Incentives and Benefits Act, which provides monetary rewards to athletes and coaches who win in international sports competitions. Even during the pandemic, when it suffered a drastic decline in its revenues due to the suspension of gaming operations, PAGCOR continued to contribute to national coffers and to nation building efforts, including ₱990.982 million worth of grants to the health sector, aside from its contribution to the UHC law. At the onset of the pandemic until 2022, it released a total ₱161.30 million for the purchase of food and non-food items, which were distributed to calamity victims, community and healthcare frontliners and marginalized communities gravely affected by the lockdowns. Moreover, from 2020 to 2022, it released a total of ₱356.24 million in financial grants to various local government units, state colleges and national government agencies as part of its Covid-19 response. It also continued to provide for the retirement benefits and cash incentives of athletes and their coaches who brought honor to the country after participating in major international sports competitions, this includes the ₱38.50 million cash incentives it released to the athletes who won medals in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It has also started the construction of Multi-Purpose Evacuation Centers (MPECs) nationwide. Since the MPEC project was launched in November 2020, PAGCOR has already released ₱1.87 billion to kick-start the construction of at least 73 evacuation centers in various parts of the country. PAGCOR also helped establish the OFW Hospital in Pampanga and donated P300 million worth of medical equipment to the said medical facility. It likewise donated ₱350 million to the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City for the procurement of various medical equipment. In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Tengco emphasized that PAGCOR will continue to take an active role in nation-building, channeling its resources to the promotion of education and health in the country. One of its priorities is the re-launch of its School Building Project to help address classroom shortage in public schools nationwide. It will also build e-Libraries to provide learners from remote or depressed communities with an environment that is conducive for e-learning and online research. The agency will also lead the establishment of the Clark Multi-Specialty Medical Center in Clark, Pampanga to cater to the medical needs of patients from Regions I, II, III and Metro Manila. It will consist, among others, of a heart center, kidney/cancer center and a children’s hospital. Also in the pipeline are socio-civic centers and community wellness centers to be built in different parts of the country; as well as the launching of the “Bawat buhay mahalaga serbisyo caravan” – an all-encompassing endeavor focused on the distribution of educational, medical and financial assistance, among others, to various local government units and their citizens.