Because it is exempted from corporate income tax, value added tax and other direct and indirect taxes, gaming and casino regulator, Pagcor, is able to allot funds for the construction of disaster-resilient infrastructures for communities often visited by typhoons, quakes and other disasters.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., created during the time of the late strongman President Ferdinand E. Marcos by virtue of PD 1869, is next to the bureaus of internal revenue and customs as the biggest revenue contributor to the government.
As regulator of all types of gaming and casinos, Pagcor is also involved in social responsibility programs for the benefit of communities underserved or unserved by national government funds such as disaster-resilient buildings and facilities.
It had allotted over P4 billion for the construction of disaster-resilient infrastructures nationwide.
This is because the Philippines is situated within the Pacific Ring of Fire making it vulnerable to volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Add to that, the country sits on the western rim of the Pacific Ocean, where destructive tropical cyclones develop.
Hence, thousands of Filipinos who are at the mercy of these devastating natural disasters often risk losing their properties and even lives.
To help mitigate the impact of natural calamities and support the government in providing comfortable, disaster-resilient establishments to vulnerable communities, Pagcor-- a government owned and controlled corporation which enjoys exemption in corporate income tax, value added tax and other direct or indirect taxes-- released a total of P4.68 billion from 2016 to 2022 for the construction of typhoon-resilient structures in various sites nationwide.
Multi-Purpose Evacuation Centers
In November 2020, PAGCOR launched its Multi-Purpose Evacuation Centers (MPEC) project, which aims to build permanent edifices in vulnerable communities mainly to serve as evacuation centers to mitigate the loss of lives during calamities.
The agency has allotted P3.50 billion for the construction of 77 MPECs in provinces that are frequently hit by typhoons.
Locations include Mountain Province, Kalinga, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Isabela, Cagayan, Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Quezon, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Capiz, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Southern Leyte, Zamboanga del Sur, and Davao de Oro.
When the MPECs are not being used as evacuation centers, they may be utilized by recipients for other purposes and community activities such as sports meets, vaccination drives and seminars.
Pagcor village2
Meanwhile, the state-run gaming firm also unveiled in 2021 the “PAGCOR Village,” a charitable project that seeks to safeguard the living conditions of families displaced by the eruption of Taal Volcano in Batangas in 2020.
This project, with a funding of P150 million, will benefit the towns of Agoncillo, Lemery, Balete, Mataas na Kahoy and Taal. Said towns are near Taal Volcano’s danger zone.
PAGCOR also granted a total of P1.03 billion assistance to some LGUs and organizations from 2016 to 2022.
Among them is the P11-million donation to the provincial governments of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Cagayan, Isabela, Kalinga, Apayao and Mountain Province for the rehabilitation of various infrastructure damaged by typhoon Lawin in 2016.
PAGCOR also donated P50 million to the City of Marikina for the construction of two covered courts.
Apart from the communities, PAGCOR provided financial support to Veterans Memorial Medical Center (P123.65 million) and V. Luna Medical Center (P53.22 million) for the construction of dormitories which will serve as a halfway house for the families and watchers of patients confined in the hospital.
The impact of disasters on the lives and well-being of affected families is real. But by bankrolling long-term infrastructure projects, PAGCOR is helping build safe communities for more Filipinos — improving their disaster-preparedness and mitigating the loss of lives.
Tags: #Pagcor, #multipurposeevacuationcenters, #disaster-resilientinfrastructures