PCSO provides needed assistance

The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) is expanding its outreach, providing medical aid and financial support to various communities across the country.

In line with Lucena City’s “Araw ng Lucena” celebration, the PCSO donated medical devices and mobility aids to residents on 20 August. PCSO directors Jennifer Liongson-Guevara and Imelda Papin led the turnover ceremony, with Lucena City Mayor Mark Alcala formally accepting the donations.

The items included 50 wheelchairs, 25 blood pressure monitors, 25 glucometers, 25 nebulizers, 10 pulse oximeters and 10 thermal scanners. The initiative is part of the PCSO’s corporate social responsibility program, which aims to support Filipinos with medical needs.

The PCSO also partnered with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, the Veterans Federation of the Philippines and the local government of General Santos City to conduct a free medical mission for veterans and their families on 18 August.

The PCSO Medical Team, led by Dr. Rouel Aparato and Dr. Juliet Diaz, provided free medical consultations and medicines to 236 patients. Another 16 individuals received electrocardiogram (ECG) procedures.

In total, 252 people were served during the one-day event. Atty. Brian James C. Cuevas, a representative from the Veterans Affairs Division, expressed gratitude to the PCSO for its “enduring support for those who have served our country.”

In a separate development, the PCSO turned over a mandatory contribution of P279,516.34 to the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) on 29 August. PCSO general manager Mel Robles handed the check to GSP Finance Staff Christian Soriano. The donation represented the net proceeds from a 6D Lotto draw held on 27 May.

The annual contribution is mandated by Republic Act 620, which requires the PCSO to allocate earnings from a special yearly sweepstakes draw to GSP programs.

According to the GSP, the funds will be used for various youth and community projects, including those promoting gender sensitivity and equal rights for women. The PCSO has supported the GSP for more than 70 years.