PCSO allots part of ‘standby fund’ for Covid-19 efforts

PCSO General Manager Royina Garma said the agency will release PHP420 million from its “stand-by fund”. (File photo: Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office/Facebook)

MANILA – The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) said it will allot a part of its funds to help the government’s efforts in battling the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

PCSO General Manager Royina Garma said the agency will release PHP420 million from its “stand-by fund”.

“We have this stand-by fund since 1990. This is a fund (for fighting health emergencies like) SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) which is PHP1 billion. We have spent about PHP200 million already when the SARS epidemic broke out (in 2000s),” she said in an interview Thursday.

Garma said the PCSO board has already and issued the resolution needed for the fund’s release.

“The board has already issued, approved the resolution already, providing that 50 percent of our standby fund which is more or less 420M, will be utilized for this (Covid-19) concern we have now,” she said.

She added the PCSO has already submitted the board resolution to the Office of the President for approval and disposition.

Garma noted that it is up to President Rodrigo Duterte to decide on the use of the fund.

Meanwhile, the agency said Lotto draws and outlets’ operations will remain normal.

“We will require our lotto agents to observe the social distance requirement,” the PCSO Public Information Office said in a statement.

On Thursday, authorities raised Code Red Sub-level 2 as the number of Covid-19 cases in the country increased to 52 with five deaths.