President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday urged the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to fulfill its commitment to donate two patient transport vehicles (PTVs) to each local government unit (LGU) nationwide.
Marcos made the call during the turnover of 90 PTVs to LGUs in a ceremony at the Quirino Grandstand in the City of Manila, as he expressed confidence over the PCSO’s capability of equipping every municipality with two vehicles.
“Kaya’t magpasalamat tayo sa PCSO sa kanilang patuloy na trabaho para sa pag-deliver ng mga emergency vehicle at ipagpatuloy natin itong programang ito (So let’s thank the PCSO for their continuous work for the delivery of emergency vehicles and let’s continue this program),” he said.
“Sana pagka tuluy-tuloy itong programa na ito ay hindi lang 100 percent ang mabubuo natin. Ipinagmamalaki ng PCSO, kaya daw nilang mag-deliver ng tigalawa. Kaya’t gagawin daw nating 200 percent. Kaya nasabi na ‘yan kaya’t pangako na ‘yan. Hindi na natin puwedeng [bawiin]. Kailangan matupad ‘yan. Mapapahiya ako rito (I hope that when this program continues, we will not only do it 100 percent. The PCSO is proud to say it can deliver two vehicles. So, we will do 200 percent. So that’s been said and that’s a promise. We can’t [take it back]. That must be fulfilled. I will be embarrassed here),” Marcos added.
As part of its Medical Transport Vehicle Donation Program, the PCSO donated 90 PTVs to mayors from the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Occidental, and Northern Samar.
The event coincided with the PCSO’s 90th anniversary and marked the first observance of the National Day of Charity, established through Proclamation 598 signed by President Marcos Jr. on June 13, 2024.
Marcos called on the LGU beneficiaries to take good care of the PTVs, saying the emergency vehicles donated are a good model and easy to use.
“Ang maganda rito sa pagpili naming ng modelong ito, madaming piyesa ito, madaling ayusin. Kahit saan, makakahanap kayo. Kahit sinong mekaniko, kayang ayusin itong mga emergency vehicle na ito. Kahit saan madaling makahanap ng piyesa (The good thing about our choice of this model is that it has many parts and is easy to fix. You can find them anywhere. Any mechanic can fix these emergency vehicles. It’s easy to find parts),” he said.
Under the program, the PCSO aims to deliver Type II Advanced Life Support Ambulances, PTVs, and Sea Ambulances, particularly to underserved regions in the country.
As the government’s primary charitable agency, the PCSO is donating PTVs to enhance healthcare access in remote and underserved communities by providing faster response times and efficient patient transport in emergencies. (PNA)