Pagcor resumes funding construction of public schools

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) is resuming its funding of the construction of public school buildings for the Department of Education (DepEd), which was stopped in 2016.

PAGCOR, DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) signed on Oct. 23 a Joint Memorandum Circular for a multi-agency school building program that will include the construction of e-learning centers and health and wellness centers for DepEd.

Alejandro Tengco, PAGCOR CEO and chairman, said that they were making the program a flagship infrastructure project with a goal of completing at least 1,200 classrooms in the next four years for remote communities.

Aside from school buildings, Tengco said PAGCOR will also build 200 E-Learning Centers in areas with a high concentration of learning institutions.

Each E-Learning Center will have 48 computer stations with internet connection, making them ideal hubs for online research and computer literacy courses.

PAGCOR had stopped allotting its gaming income since 2016 when then DepEd secretary Leonor Briones decreed a policy against the use of PAGCOR revenues to build classrooms for public schools, noting that the donation of the school buildings requires the display of PAGCOR logos and pro-gambling messages in the facilities.

Since then, PAGCOR had poured such funds to building disaster multi-purpose evacuation centers for local government units (LGUs) all over the country.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said PAGCOR’s commitment to build more classrooms will be of great help to the education sector.

“Currently our classroom deficit is at 165,000. We thank PAGCOR and DPWH because these projects will definitely improve the learning experience of our students,” he said.

The third leg of the flagship projects will be the construction of health and wellness centers which will feature doctors’ offices and consultation rooms, dental clinics, vaccination rooms, treatment rooms and a multi-purpose area.

PAGCOR will build at least 100 such facilities in the next four years nationwide to help bring quality health care especially in poor communities and LGUs.

The signing of the joint memorandum was attended by Angara and Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

Tengco also bared that the program includes the building of 50 socio-civic centers which can be utilized as seminar and training venues, evacuation facilities during calamities and disasters as well as for hosting social and community gatherings by beneficiary LGUs.

Under the memorandum circular, the DPWH will undertake the construction of the new PAGCOR flagship projects, while the DepEd will administer the schools and e-learning centers, including providing teachers and other personnel.