MORE than 21,000 families, local government units (LGUs), government hospitals, and other institutions have benefited from various programs under the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) in 2022.

“Sa pamamagitan ng iba’t-ibang programa sa ilalim ng Charity Fund, nasa 21,421 na pamilya, LGUs, government hospital, at iba pang institusyon ang nabigyan ng tulong noong nakaraang taon.

Asahan po ninyo na magpupursigi pa kami para mahigitan ito at mas marami pa sa mga kababayan nating nangangailangan ang masasandigan ang PCSO,” PCSO Chairman Junie E. Cua said.

This figure is a 716% increase from 2021, where 2,624 families, LGUs, hospitals, and institutions had been given aid, Cua also said.

According to the PCSO’s yearend report, assistance to these beneficiaries amounted to P818,827,204.60, which was released through PCSO’s various programs under the Charity Fund, such as the Institutional Partnership Program (IPP); Endowment Fund Program (EFP); Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program (MTVDP); Medical Equipment Donation Program (MEDP); Calamity Assistance Program (CAP); Out-Patient Services (OPS); Medicine Donation Program (MDP); Medical and Dental Mission (MDM); and Employees Consultation and Management (ECM).

Included in the figures were 376 Patient Transport Vehicles (PTV) amounting to P747,415,000 that had been donated to various LGUs nationwide, along with P28.3 million donated through the IPP to 62 welfare agencies and charitable medical facilities across the nation.

Meanwhile, through the CAP, a total of P8,584,000 were allocated for 20,318 families affected by disasters from January to March 2022. A total of P8,997,325 was also released through the PCSO’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives – for various CSR activities.

Earlier, the PCSO announced that it had directly assisted 255,520 indigents and financially incapacitated individuals under its flagship Medical Access Program (MAP) with P2,012,581,440.96 in assistance last year.

Cua expressed confidence that as the country continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, there would be a continued increase in the number of Filipinos in need that the PCSO, which is under the Office of the President (OP), would be able to reach.

“Patuloy pong nakikipagtulungan ang PCSO sa pamahalaan, lalo na kay Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., upang mapalawig pa natin ang bilang ng mga benepisyaryo ng PCSO,” said Cua.

He also vowed to make the PCSO more accessible to Filipinos, particularly those requesting help in defraying medical costs through the MAP.

The MAP is the PCSO’s flagship program, which provides aid in partnership with government and private hospitals, health facilities, medicine retailers, and other partners.

The services covered by the program include confinement, erythropoietin (dialysis injection), chemo drugs, specialty medicines, hemodialysis, laboratory (blood chemistry), diagnostic, and imaging procedures, and implant/medical devices.