Residents of 14 areas reeling from the aftermath of super typhoon “Karding” received aid from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and its licensed casinos.
In two weeks, PAGCOR and the charity foundations of its casino licensees were able to deliver 17,500 relief packs worth P9 million to the provinces of Aurora, Bataan, Bulacan, Marikina, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Quezon City, Quezon Province, Tarlac and Zambales.
PAGCOR vice President for Community Relations and Services Group Ramon Stephen Villaflor said the state-run gaming agency distributed 3,000 food and non-food items to Dingalan, Aurora; Marikina; and General Tinio and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija.
Meanwhile, the most recent donation came from Widus Foundation Inc., the charitable arm of Widus Hotel and Casino Clark. The Foundation distributed 1,000 packs of food and non-food items to heavily affected residents in San Antonio, Nueva Ecija on 12 October 12 and 1,500 packs to those in Aurora Province on 14 October.
WFI Manager Ronnel Golimlim said they worked closely with PAGCOR and LGUs to deliver the goods immediately to the typhoon victims.
“Kitang-kita sa mga mukha ng mga tao ang tuwa at talaga namang nakakalambot ng puso na marinig sa kanila na ‘yung kanilang natanggap ay good for three days. Dito natin nakita ang success na dala ng private-public partnership since we’ve been working together hand in hand with the LGUs, PAGCOR, Widus, and everyone else,” Golimlim said.
Barangay official Mirna Santos said many houses in the town of San Antonio were wrecked by “Karding’s” strong winds. They were grateful that immediate help was given to affected families.
“Nagpapasalamat po kami dahil po itong dumating na tulong ay talagang kinakailangan ng mga mamamayan namin dito sa San Antonio. Kitang-kita sa mga mga kababayan natin dito na talagang gumaan ang loob nila dahil sa oras ng sakuna ay may mga organisasyon na gaya ng PAGCOR at Widus na handang tumulong sa mga naapektuhan,” Santos said.
Another casino licensee that conducted relief operations for “Karding” victims was the Stotsenberg Leisure Park and Hotel Corporation. Its charitable arm Stotsenberg Foundation Inc. donated 2,000 food packs worth P500,000 to affected locals in Victoria, Tarlac and Cabangan, Zambales.
Royce Hotel and Casino Foundation, the foundation of Royce Hotel and Casino, also distributed 1,500 food packs each to Quezon City and Pampanga worth P1.5 million.
Resorts World Philippines Cultural Heritage Foundation Inc., the charitable arm of Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., likewise delivered 3,000 food packs worth P1.5 million to Quezon Province.
In addition, Bridges of Benevolent Initiative Foundation Inc., the charitable arm of Midori Clark Hotel and Casino, donated 4,000 food packs to Pampanga, Bulacan and Bataan residents amounting to P2 million.
Pagcor mandates its casino licensees to establish foundations to help fund corporate social responsibility programs related to education, infrastructure, health facilities, environmental preservation, and the restoration of cultural heritage.