Pagcor allocates P21M for its 12 days of Pamaskong Handog 2015

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) has started spread­ing holiday cheer to thou­sands of less privileged Fili­pinos through its traditional Pamaskong Handog gift-giv­ing project this year. Pagcor allocated P21 million for it.

The state-run agency’s 12 days of gift-giving started November 27 and will run up December 17. It is expected to benefit 10,000 less fortu­nate Filipinos under the care of 33 charitable institutions nationwide.

Pagcor Chairman and CEO Cristino Naguiat, Jr. said reaching out to the less priv­ileged sectors of society has always been one of the core commitments of Pagcor as it does its share in building a better nation.

“The main objective of the Pamaskong Handog proj­ect is to give help to those who need it most. It is also a great opportunity for Pagcor to partake in spreading love to the neglected sectors of so­ciety during the Yuletide sea­son,” he said.

Pagcor’s Assistant VP for Corporate Communications Maricar Bautista, who graced the kick-off ceremony for this year’s gift-giving project, said the Pamaskong Handog is one of Pagcor’s creative ways of giving back to soci­ety. “This event which started in December 2010 is one of Pagcor’s important Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs under its current management,” she said.

During the first day of the gift-giving project, close to 500 Special Education (SPED) students of Pasay City Special Education Cen­ter (PCSEC) housed in the P. Villanueva Elementary School (PVES) in Pasay City were chosen beneficiaries of the project.

Composed of intellectu­ally gifted children, children with disabilities such as au­tism, Down syndrome, cere­bral palsy, hearing, speech, visual and physical impair­ment —the beneficiaries and their teachers were treated by Pagcor to a fun-filled Christ­mas party, receiving 500 Christmas gift packs.

Expressing her appreci­ation, Marieta Garino, Master Teacher of the SPED pro­gram, said: “We are grateful to Pagcor for choosing our students as recipients of this special Christmas treat. What I love about these children—napaka-genuine ng mga pagkatao nila. They have no pretentions and they express what they feel. Hence, seeing them truly happy is priceless,” said Garino who has been with the SPED center for 15 years now.

The PCSEC is also known as one of the two big­gest special-education insti­tutions in Metro Manila with the most number of enrollees.

“Although our funding comes solely from the gov­ernment, we are lucky to have special facilities and programs that cater to special children. These are not yet available to most SPED schools in the country that’s why we ac­commodate as much SPED enrollees as we can,” Garino shared.

PCSEC Principal Lea Marcelo thanked Pagcor of­ficials and employees who were present during the event. She also lauded the state-run agency for its continuing sup­port for their school, through its Feeding Program and Brigada Eskwela.

DepEd’s Chief Education Program Supervisor Irene Tonel, who also graced the event, thanked Pagcor for heavily investing in the educa­tion of Pasay City’s youth. The agency built school buildings at the Jose Rizal Elementary School (JRES) and Pasay City East High School (PCEHS).

Apart from the SPED stu­dents in PCSEC, Pagcor will also reach out to indigent and homeless families; orphaned and abandoned children; un­derprivileged kids with con­genital heart disease; chil­dren with mental retardation, autism and multiple disabili­ties; the elderly; the disabled and physically handicapped; cultural minorities; abused and disadvantaged women; barangay health workers; di­saster volunteers and street sweepers.