Provincial government gets P500,000 a month from Pagcor

CEBU, Philippines – The Capitol has been receiving half a million each month from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), which the Province distributes to individuals and families in distress, such as burial assistance.

But should the sale of Pagcor go on as proposed, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia assures that the Province's distribution of social services to indigent families will continue.

"At the start of my administration I made it as a matter of policy that we will not use as a scapegoat the National Government in the implementation of our projects and say we will not able to implement kay naghuwat pa mi. We do this because we take care of our own, gikan sa kaugalingong panudlanan," she said.

The governor added that of course, the Provincial government would welcome any assistance that would arrive, if any, but will never delay the delivery of services and projects just because the expected assistance has also been delayed.

Local governments should consider self-sufficiency as both a challenge and a goal, she stressed.

Therefore, she said, aid will continue from the Capitol to people in distress even if the Pagcor funds will stop coming, as the Province has other resources.

President Benigno Aquino Jr. had expressed willingness to sell Pagcor to businessman Ramon Ang of the conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC). The President, however, stressed the need for a careful study of the proposal to privatize the state-run gaming firm.

President Aquino thinks that it might be more practical to sell Pagcor and have it privatized since the government has apparently been shortchanged in the past several years with regards to the real revenues being generated by the firm.

Pagcor has thirteen casinos in 10 cities with 28 satellite casinos, 24 VIP clubs and four arcades, which also give funds to local government units where casinos situated.

According to Gov. Garcia, the issue on Pagcor is totally up to the President, although any move should be done in a most transparent manner. (THE FREEMAN)