PAGCOR grants first PHP25m for Leyte Evacuation Centre

A coastal municipality in Southern Leyte will soon have a safe shelter for its locals during typhoons and other calamities after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) released the first tranche of funding for the construction of a Multi-purpose Evacuation Center Project (MPEC) in the town of Silago.

The municipality received P25 million or half of the P50 million commitment from PAGCOR to start the construction of a two-storey evacuation center in Barangay Tubod.

PAGCOR’s top executives – Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo and President and COO Alfredo Lim -- turned over the check on May 4, 2021 to the Provincial Government of Southern Leyte, which was represented by Political Affairs Officer Marilou del Rosario from the office of Southern Leyte Representative Roger Mercado.

Although picturesque and rich in natural wonder, Silago’s locals are not spared from nature’s wrath during the typhoon season. The coastal town often experiences heavy rains and strong winds that result to floods, mudslides and landslides.

In a message to the PAGCOR management, Southern Leyte’s Provincial Governor Damian Mercado said that the soon-to-rise evacuation center will be of “great service to their needy constituents in Silago and nearby places who experience tragic situations during calamitous events.”

Meanwhile, Domingo expressed that despite financial setbacks, the state-gaming agency will continue to help fulfill its commitments to the country through its various nation-building programs.

“We will continue to find ways to uplift the situation of Filipinos, especially those who have no means to help themselves. This MPEC program is one of our lasting legacies to the country as it will help secure the lives of many locals who have no safe places to stay whenever destructive typhoons come,” she said.