LAOAG CITY – Over 3,000 residents of Ilocos Norte benefited from essential health services and assistance provided by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) through its Bawat Buhay Mahalaga Serbisyo Caravan.

Held at the Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena from 29-30 November, the two-day event offered free medical consultations, medicines, food packs, and other essential community services.

PAGCOR also turned over P50 million in donations to Provincial Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc. These included bicycles for barangay bike patrols, GoBags equipped with first aid kits, wheelchairs, walking canes, cot beds, reading glasses, and assorted medicines.

Additionally, 45 livelihood starter packages were raffled off during the event. The agency also pledged to deliver medical equipment — including 2D echo machines, portable ventilators, and glucose/cholesterol/uric acid monitoring devices — by early 2025.

PAGCOR announced plans to provide educational grants under its Ayudang Hatid ay Tagumpay Program, with the number of scholars to be determined in coordination with the provincial government.

“PAGCOR brought the Bawat Buhay Mahalaga Serbisyo Caravan to Ilocos Norte as part of our mission to make essential services accessible to communities across the country,” said Ramon Stephen Villaflor, head of PAGCOR’s Corporate Social Responsibility Group.

“We launched this initiative in Bulacan last year, and now we’ve reached Ilocos Norte. Soon, we will also bring the caravan to the Visayas and Mindanao,” Villaflor added.

Governor Manotoc expressed his gratitude to PAGCOR and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the program, emphasizing its impact on the province.

“Allow me to extend my deepest thanks to PAGCOR, Chairman Al Tengco, and, of course, President Bongbong Marcos Jr.,” said Manotoc. “We are truly honored to host the Serbisyo Caravan.