The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s (PAGCOR) massive relief drive for areas affected by Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name Trami) began Thursday as it sent out an initial 5,000 relief packs out of the 53,000 packs it has prepared.
The relief packs will be dispatched to hard-hit communities in the Bicol Region, Northern Luzon, and Calabarzon, PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said in a news release Saturday.
“Since Oct. 24, our volunteer teams have been working tirelessly and preparing thousands of relief goods for distribution to flooded communities,” he said.
“Many of the major roads to these areas were not passable at the height of Kristine’s onslaught so we had to wait a bit for the floods to subside but were able to ship out the first batch of relief items even while the storm was still lashing out parts of the country.”
The City of Lipa in Batangas was the first to receive relief aid from the state gaming agency on the night of Oct. 24, as its roads were already passable. The city government received 2,000 food and non-food packs for distribution to affected residents.
PAGCOR also donated Friday 3,000 relief packs to former vice president Leni Robredo’s Angat Buhay Foundation. The food and non-food items will be distributed in Naga City, which suffered devastating flash floods after the Bicol River overflowed.
“This is just the start of our massive relief drive for Kristine-hit areas,” Tengco said.
“Coordination with various local government units and other government agencies like the Office of the Civil Defense is ongoing to ensure the safe and prompt delivery of PAGCOR’s aid to displaced communities.”
He said the Bicol region alone, which suffered the brunt of the recent tropical storm, will receive more than 24,000 food and non-food relief packs from PAGCOR.
The relief goods will be distributed to various local government units in Albay, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte.
Other intended recipients of PAGCOR’s relief operation will be the provinces of Apayao, La Union, Quezon, Rizal, and Vigan City in Ilocos Sur. (PNA)
