Indigent kids in QC get early Christmas gift

Pagcor Assistant Vice President for Community Relations Henry Reyes (3rd from left) and Ms. Casino Filipino 2012 Marie Loraine D. De Guzman lead the kick-off of “Bayanihan: Pamaskong Handog ng Pagcor 2012” in Lingap Pangkabataan. Also in photo is Mario Liwag (right), Lingap Pangkabataan’s Board of Trustees Chairman.

MANILA, Philippines – Around 300 children in Quezon City received their Christmas gifts early in the form of a renovated reading center and six computer and printer sets courtesy of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor).

The beneficiaries were indigent, destitute, abandoned, and orphaned children, their families and communities being taken care of by Lingap Pangkabataan Inc. in Cubao, Pagcor said in a statement released Thursday

Mario Liwag, Lingap’s Board of Trustees Chairman, said that, “The new reading center and the new computer sets will not only help in their studies but also motivate them to pursue a better life than be on the streets.”

“These children come mostly from poor families. They lack access to reference materials. We are thankful to Pagcor for choosing us as one of the beneficiaries of its gift-giving this year,” he added.

Pagcor’s own employees renovated the reading center “replacing its defective ceramic tiles, repairing and repainting the center’s ceiling, painting of its walls, installation of lights, windows, cabinets and computer tables,” it said.

More than P400,000 was allocated by Pagcor for the benefit of Lingap. Gift packs containing grocery items were given to the children and their families and a grand Christmas party with food and entertainment was held for them.

“Every year Pagcor chooses institutions whose advocacies are helping the poor and to improve the education of the youth,” Pagcor Assistant Vice President for Community Relations Henry Reyes said.

“Pagcor is here to support the advocacy of Lingap Pangkabataan, improve what they have, and add computers for the benefit of children who need it,” he added.

Lingap Kabataan has been actively working since 1981 and has helped more than 18,000 children throughout the country, Pagcor said.

“Pagcor’s Christmas gift-giving program this year runs from November 29 to December

20. It will touch the lives of more than 8,600 beneficiaries in 41 charitable institutions