MANILA – The administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will establish a Presidential Help Desk to handle the public's requests for financial and medical assistance, the Palace announced on Thursday.
According to a news release from the Presidential Communications Office, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed on March 21 Executive Order 20, which would create the Presidential Help Desk to address the overwhelming number of requests for financial and medical assistance submitted to the Office of the President.
"The Presidential Help Desk shall complement the existing health services and projects of the government by providing accessible and direct financial and medical assistance to qualified beneficiaries," the EO read.
Under the EO, the Presidential Help Desk will be administered by the Presidential Action Center (PACe).
A project coordinator will be tasked to directly report to the PACe and ensure that the day-to-day implementation of the project is managed effectively, efficiently, and economically, and oversee the operational activities of the project, including the performance by all employees and personnel of their respective functions.
An annual report on the operations of the Presidential Help Desk will be submitted by the PACe to the President, via the Office of the Executive Secretary.
During the first six months of the Marcos administration, the PACe has received a total of 52,728 action documents from the public, 20.08 percent of which are related to medical concerns, such as requests for medicines or financial assistance to defray costs of medical procedures and hospital bills.
The EO further noted that the head of the PACe will determine the appropriate staffing pattern and corresponding qualification standards for all the positions necessary to operate the Presidential Help Desk.
The funds necessary for the operations of the Presidential Help Desk will be charged “against appropriate funding sources under the OP.” (with reports from Filane Mikee Cervantes/PNA)
