The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) is still awaiting a decision from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on its request to be exempted from the spending ban for the barangay government authority elections.
According to the Business Times, the PAGCOR’s legal department already filed the request two weeks ago, for the spending ban exemption now being implemented until the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in October.
The election shall elect the barangay captain or the chief executive of the barangay, and seven of eight members of the Sangguniang Barangay, or barangay council, in 42,027 barangays throughout the country.
According to the Vice President (VP) for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Ramon Stephen R. Villaflor, the ban bars PAGCOR from providing aid to communities in need.
Villaflor stated that PAGCOR help extends to families and communities directly hit by natural calamities, such as typhoons, volcanic activities, floods and fire, among others by way of distribution of emergency relief packs and financial aids, he added.
“With the ban, we cannot distribute relief assistance and go on with our existing projects that need the second or third tranche [of allocated budget]. We cannot process the release [of funds for these projects],” he added.
PAGCOR was said to have allocated P28.37 million ($500,085) last year for the purchase of food and nonfood packs, which were distributed to over 53,000 families in calamity-stricken areas.
The Filipino gaming authority and operator will also be launching four upcoming flagship CSR programs that are centered on education and health in the last quarter of this year.
