PCSO will pay hospital bills

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) will shoulder the medical expenses of casualties of the Compostela Valley landslide, an official said Friday.

PCSO General Manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas II said the agency had communicated with government hospitals around the area, instructing them to bill the PCSO for medical expenses incurred by victims of the Pantukan landslide. Latest figures showed 16 injured in the landslide, while 28 were dead and 36 missing.

“We intend to go directly to assist those hospitalized in government [facilities],” Rojas said in a phone interview.

Unlike relief goods that victims of Tropical Storm “Sendong” in northern Mindanao urgently needed, the pressing need for the landslide victims was medical attention, the official explained.

Meanwhile, the PCSO Davao office has begun conducting a needs assessment of the Pantukan landslide victims to see what other assistance the PCSO could provide, Rojas said.

Once the provincial office completes its assessment, the board would act on their recommendation immediately, Rojas said.