PAGCOR’s Massive Relief Drive For Kristine-hit Areas Underway

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has launched a large-scale relief operation for communities affected by Tropical Storm Kristine.

Volunteers unload relief packs from PAGCOR for distribution to affected communities in Lipa City. I Photos: PAGCOR

The drive started with the dispatch of 5,000 relief packs on Thursday from a total of 53,000 prepared for distribution. PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Alejandro Tengco said the relief packs will be sent to severely impacted areas in the Bicol Region, Northern Luzon, and CALABARZON.

"Since October 24, our volunteer teams have been working tirelessly to prepare thousands of relief goods for distribution to flood-stricken communities," Tengco stated.

He added, “Many major roads were impassable during the height of Kristine’s onslaught, so we had to wait for the floods to recede. However, we managed to ship out the first batch of relief items even while the storm was still affecting parts of the country.”

The first area to receive PAGCOR’s assistance was Lipa City in Batangas, where 2,000 food and non-food packs were delivered on the night of October 24, as the roads had become accessible.

On October 25, PAGCOR also donated 3,000 relief packs to former Vice President Leni Robredo’s Angat Buhay Foundation. These supplies will be distributed in Naga City, which was hit by flash floods after the Bicol River overflowed.

“This is just the beginning of our massive relief drive for the areas hit by Kristine,” Tengco emphasized.

“We are coordinating closely with local government units and agencies such as the Office of the Civil Defense to ensure the timely and safe delivery of aid to displaced communities.”

The Bicol Region, which bore the brunt of the storm, will receive over 24,000 food and non-food relief packs from PAGCOR.

These will be distributed across local government units in Albay, Camarines Sur, and Camarines Norte. Additionally, provinces such as Apayao, La Union, Quezon, Rizal, and Ilocos Sur (Vigan City) are also slated to receive assistance from PAGCOR’s ongoing relief operations.