PAGCOR has launched its first Bawat Buhay Mahalaga Serbisyo Caravan ahead of the Christmas period. Located at a sports complex in Malolos, Bulacan, the two-day event will provide educational, medical and food supplies to an estimated 3,000 local people.
PAGCOR regulates gaming in the Philippines and is the provider of licences to operators in the country. It consists of two primary branches which deal with land-based and online gaming respectively, and has stated that it expects to generate $12.5bn from the gaming industry by 2028.
According to PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro H. Tengco, the event is taking place in accordance with pledges made by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to bring together government services and local communities.
Education opportunities at the event include the distribution of 2,000 educational grants. Tengco expressed that these grants will ‘cover both college and technical-vocational students who will each receive ₱10,000 ($180) every year.’
Translated, Tengco said at the opening of the event that: “Thousands of scholars will come from vocational schools, demonstrating our support and recognition of the importance of vocational and technical education in the general development of our industries.”
Alongside educational opportunities will be medical supplies for citizens. This includes glasses and canes for senior citizens as well as medicine and wheelchairs, plus consultations from doctors and dentists. The total for these medical supplies is said to be ₱5m.
The total amount allocated to the two-day event by PAGCOR was ₱50m.
Across the world, gambling revenue is used to inject capital into government projects and local communities. In Maryland, US, $47.7m of November’s monthly casino revenue was contributed to the state's Education Trust Fund, for example.
