The Philippine casino regulator, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor), recently inaugurated two socio-civic centres in the mountainside towns of Maragusan and New Bataan, areas in Davao de Oro province that are frequently hit by natural disasters.
The new facilities, each built with a PHP50 million (US$859,707) funding from Pagcor, “will serve as safe shelters during emergencies as well as venues for various socio-economic activities of the communities,” stated the agency in a press release.
The announcement quoted former Maragusan mayor Maricel Vendiola, who spearheaded the project in 2022, as saying: “This facility is a significant help to the locals who need to evacuate their homes during disaster situations.”
Maragusan’s incumbent mayor Angelito Cabalquinto was also cited as saying: “I am very excited to utilise this facility for our economic and livelihood programmes. This will also help our local government generate additional revenues for our operations.”
For the people of New Bataan, which is also prone to heavy flooding and landslides, the newly inaugurated facility “is a realisation of a lifelong dream,” according to mayor Geraldford Balbin.
“For years, we have dreamt of having a sturdy and comfortable building to serve as temporary shelter for our people during calamities,” he said. “This project is a demonstration of Pagcor’s commitment to address the needs of vulnerable communities.”
The regulator said that to date, Pagcor “has completed and inaugurated 43 socio-civic centres nationwide, with 29 more facilities nearing completion”.
