BY MARK DJERON C. TUMABAO
TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (September 13)—No less than Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO) General Manager Royima Garma led the turnover ceremony of new patient transport vehicles and distribution of medicines to seven towns in Cagayan and Kalinga provinces.
Mayor Ferdinand Trinidad of Iguig, Cagayan and Mayor Darwin Estrañero of Tabuk City, Kalinga personally received the new patient transport vehicles worth P1.7 million each for their towns.
Local governments of Aparri, Amulung, Santa Ana, Tuao and Tuguegarao City, all in Cagayan, received their sets of medicines from the PCSO each worth at least P20,000.
In her message, Garma said the provision of assistance like these are sourced out from the funds that the office is generating through its game such as STL and Lotto.
“We raise funds for charity. We are not a gambling institution,” she said highlighting that all funds are used for charity programs of the Office of the President.
She urged the LGUs of Aparri and Amulung to request for the new patient transport vehicle and comply with the requirements thereafter.
“I really want government hospital and Rural Health Units (RHUs) to be equipped and be able to sustain their operations especially in this pandemic. Just relate all your requests to health programs and you should be able to justify it,” Garma said.
Garma also informed LGU representatives present that their assistances are not limited to the provision of ambulances and medicines as there are other programs and services their office is offering to include individual access program.
She said an LGU can refer an individual needing financial aid for his or her medication and institution partnership where LGU can request for the sustainability of the operations of their centers for abused children, Bahay Kalinga, home for the rescued street children, among others.
PCSO Cagayan Office Branch Manager Heherson Pambid urged the public to visit their office and avail of their services. Their office is located on the grounds of the Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Tuguegarao City.
In April, the PCSO through Pambid has handed over P30 million in financial assistance to the Cagayan Valley Medical Center to fund the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients and for the construction of its testing center which is now operational.