In 2012, PCSO going where neediest are

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) plans to set up satellite offices this year to widen its reach, particularly in places where there is most need for the financial assistance the agency provides.

PCSO general manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said the agency wanted to be closer to its beneficiaries by opening up “more provincial district offices and suboffices, especially in Mindanao.”

This is apart from the agency’s goal of increasing revenue this year to allow more people to benefit from its aid.

“The PCSO will continue to serve the Filipino people’s medical and health-related concerns, especially during times of calamity,” said Rojas in a statement.

“In order to do this more effectively, we shall be expanding the PCSO’s revenues from games and we ask the public’s support for this.”

The agency swiftly disbursed aid to the people of Northern Mindanao who were ravaged by Tropical Storm “Sendong” in mid-December, according to the official.

The PCSO board released P1 million for the purchase of relief goods which were distributed in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities and three towns in Misamis Oriental. A portion of the funds was allotted for medicine for the survivors as well as their military rescuers.

The agency likewise committed to cover the medical expenses of patients in government hospitals who survived Sendong’s wrath. It set up endowment funds in two government hospitals—P4.8 million at Northern Mindanao Medical Center in Cagayan de Oro City and P250,000 for medicine at Gregorio Lluch Memorial Hospital in Iligan City.

In a yearend report, Rojas said the PCSO managed to generate over P31 billion in 2011 through its hugely popular lottery games and other agency activities like sweepstakes and horse races.