THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) ends the year having raised more money for charity and having helped more beneficiaries, in fulfillment of its mandate and of the Aquino government’s policy of universal health care for all Filipinos.
Under Republic Act 1169, the PCSO is mandated to extend medical- and health care-related assistance. The PCSO accomplishes this primarily through its flagship program, the Individual Medical Assistance Program (Imap). Other PCSO programs include the endowment fund, calamity assistance, ambulance donation, special projects and others.
RA 1169, which is the PCSO’s charter, also allocates 30 percent of sales to the PCSO’s Charity Fund, while 55 percent goes to the Prize Fund and 15 percent to the Operating Fund for operating expenses (the PCSO receives no funds from the national government).
The PCSO’s assistance programs are funded by the sales of PCSO games, including the popular PCSO Lotto. As of November, the PCSO has already hit sales of P29.71 billion from Lotto and other online and number games, compared to total sales for the same period in 2014 of P29.65 billion.
Including sales of instant tickets and other games, PCSO sales as of November have already amounted to P35 billion, with over 11.3 million Lotto winners (including consolation-prize winners), who have received total payouts of over P8 billion, with 47 jackpot winners receiving P1.98 billion.
To provide more excitement for Lotto players, the PCSO launched in February the Ultra Lotto 6/58 game, which was conceptualized in 2013. The game has risen in popularity over the past 10 months, garnering P1.56 billion in sales by November 2015. The last time the PCSO rolled out a new Lotto game was four years ago.
As of November 2015, the PCSO has helped 103,740 individual beneficiaries under its Imap for a total of P4.26 billion, or an average of P18 million in daily assistance compared to the P4 million daily in 2010, when the present PCSO board of directors assumed office in 2010.
Also in 2015, 52 hospitals received a total of P110 million in endowment funds, while 20 institutional partners received P19.2 million.
The PCSO also has an ambulance-donation program that distributed691 ambulances all over the country, from March to December this year, mostly in the Visayas and Mindanao.
To make it more convenient for Filipinos nationwide to receive these various forms of assistance, the PCSO continues to open more branch offices nationwide, and succeeded in doubling the number of its branches early this month.
From the initial 25 branches in 2010, the start of the Aquino administration, the PCSO now has 50 branches around the country. Branch expansion started in 2012, and eight branches were opened this year alone.
Also in line with this is the expansion of the Lotto outlet network, which as of November has 9,398 outlets.
To further make its services more accessible to those seeking medical assistance, the PCSO rolled out its At Source Ang Processing (Asap) Program in April this year.
Asap puts a PCSO help desk in partner-hospitals, which to date number nine—St. Luke’s Medical Center Quezon City and Global City, East Avenue Medical Center, Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center, Ospital ng Muntinlupa, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Rizal Medical Center and National Children’s Hospital. Other hospitals will be joining the program next year.
Under the Asap Program, patients confined at partner-hospitals can file their requests for financial assistance under Imap at the PCSO desks there, making it faster and more convenient for them.
Another major accomplishment of the PCSO for the year was receiving a recommendation for ISO certification, after hurdling the second-stage audit conducted by TÜV-Rheinland on December 17 and 18 at the PCSO head office.
This achievement is in line with Executive Order 605, series of 2007, which requires “all departments and agencies of the Executive branch, including all government-owned and -controlled corporations and government financial institutions,” to adopt a Quality Management System and obtain ISO certification.
In 2016 we will pursue other strategies to improve service and product delivery. These include the implementation of computerized accounting and human-resource processes, further branch expansion, and the development of new games and the enhancement of existing ones.
We are grateful to the public for supporting the PCSO and being our partners in our mission of charity.
In behalf of the PCSO, I extend my sincere wishes for an abundant and productive year. As we enter 2016, let us reflect on how we may, in our individual capacities, contribute to the task of helping and uplifting each other and renewing and strengthening our hearts for charity.
A joyful, peaceful and prosperous New Year to all!
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Atty. Rojas is vice chairman and general manager of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.