PAGCOR sends ₱65.6-M aid to storm-hit areas

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) has released ₱65.60 million worth of food and essential non-food assistance to communities in Luzon and Metro Manila affected by tropical cyclones Luis and Maymay and the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat.

The state gaming regulator distributed a total of 47,192 relief items, consisting of 23,596 food packs valued at ₱28.91 million and an equal number of non-food packs worth ₱36.69 million.

PAGCOR Chairperson and CEO Alejandro Tengco said the agency began sending relief supplies to affected communities on Aug. 8 as part of its continuing disaster-response program.

Relief items have been delivered or are being transported to various provinces and cities, including Bulacan, La Union, Baguio City, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Cavite and Rizal, as well as parts of Pangasinan, Quezon, Batangas, Camarines Norte, Abra, Laguna and Pampanga.

In Metro Manila, assistance was also allocated for residents of Parañaque and Marikina, two areas that have experienced the effects of heavy rains and flooding.

Tengco said calamities can immediately disrupt household finances and access to basic necessities, making timely government and institutional assistance particularly important for affected families.

He said PAGCOR would continue coordinating with government partners to deliver assistance to communities dealing with the aftermath of the weather disturbances.

The latest relief operation forms part of PAGCOR’s broader disaster-response efforts aimed at helping affected families meet immediate needs while communities begin the process of recovery.

“We will continue to stand with our kababayans in times of need,” Tengco said, adding that PAGCOR would continue doing its part to help affected communities recover and rebuild.