First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos led the turnover of 44 patient transport vehicles in Butuan City as part of a Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office program to improve healthcare access across Mindanao.

The turnover ceremony was held on Tuesday at the Libertad Sports Complex in the city.

The vehicles were distributed to local government units in Agusan del Norte, Sulu, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao Oriental, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur and Tawi-Tawi.

“Grateful to join the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office in turning over more than 40 patient transport vehicles to several provinces in Mindanao. Designed to navigate rough roads, remote communities, and areas that regular ambulances often cannot reach, these vehicles will help bring patients closer to the healthcare they need when every minute matters,” the First Lady wrote on her official Facebook page.

Mrs. Marcos extended her gratitude to PCSO general manager Mel Robles and his team for their continuing commitment to making healthcare more accessible for every Filipino.

“Not many people know this, but as of today PCSO has successfully distributed these classy and well-designed patient transport vehicles to all the cities and municipalities in the country — over 2,000 ambulances nationwide. This has never been done in the history of our country,” she said.

Robles said the vehicles would help local governments provide timely patient transport, especially during emergencies. The ambulances will also support local health programs, disaster preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation efforts.

“This turnover is part of our continuing effort to make PCSO’s charity work felt in more communities. We will continue to support the healthcare priorities of the Marcos administration and work with local governments so that more Filipinos can access the help they need, when they need it,” Robles said.

Prior to the Butuan turnover, PCSO distributed 13 ambulances to seven provinces, namely, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Cotabato that were affected by the magnitude-7.8 earthquake that struck off the coast of Maasim, Sarangani on 8 June.