SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go expressed his support to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) during a public hearing conducted by the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement on Wednesday.

In a manifestation, Go commended Pagcor for its commitment to nation-building, especially its vital contribution to the government’s Covid-19 response efforts.

“It was one of the government agencies recognized by former president Rodrigo Duterte for helping ease the plight of millions of Filipinos who were gravely affected by the health crisis brought about by the pandemic,” noted Go who serves as vice chairman of the committee.

In 2020 and 2021, Pagcor remitted P44.53 billion to the government through its mandated contributions and other corporate social responsibility programs.

He added that Pagcor worked hard to meet its revenue targets, which gave a positive impact on the resources for the government’s social services program.

He also expressed gratitude to the PCSO for supporting the Malasakit Centers program.

Go, who is the main proponent of the Malasakit Centers program, principally authored and sponsored the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019.

The centers are one-stop shops for all government medical assistance programs, bringing together the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, PCSO and PhilHealth under one roof, making it convenient for particularly poor Filipinos to access medical care.

During the hearing, Go also urged the Pagcor to utilize its resources to support grassroots sports development. He noted that under Republic Act 6847, the law that created the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) in 1990, Pagcor is mandated to remit five percent of its gross income to the PSC’s National Sports Development Fund.

The fund finances PSC’s various plans and programs, including its support for national sports associations and national athletes for training and international competition.

The senator added that he would like to focus on the promotion and progress of the national sports development programs in his capacity as chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports.