Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Mel Robles revealed plans to expand ambulance services, extending them not only to municipalities but also to cities.

In an exclusive interview during the DZRH Executive Session, Robles clarified that while their initial statement emphasized guaranteeing ambulance services to municipalities, cities are also eligible to avail themselves of the assistance.

“Pwede po ang cities, ang sinabi lang namin ay we will guarantee yung mga munisipyo, pero pwede rin po yun, 'di naman po namin sinasabing limited,” said GM Robles.

However, the PCSO official emphasized that municipalities must meet certain qualifications, including not having received an ambulance from a corporation within the last five years, as the distribution of ambulances is not an annual occurrence.

Robles also mentioned that PCSO is considering providing sea ambulance services to island municipalities, recognizing the unique challenges they face in terms of emergency medical transportation.

“We're even looking island municipalities, kailangan nila ng seas ambulance, nagfo-formulate na kami ng TOR in terms of reference ng sea ambulance. Kasi marami talaga sa 'tin ay 'yung ambulansya, nando'n lang sa isla nila,” said the official.

They are exploring the possibility of collaborating with the Department of Health to develop appropriate guidelines.

Furthermore, Robles shared PCSO's wishlist, which includes a reduction in PCSO's amendments and revisiting the organization's charter.

He also emphasized the importance of restoring the tax rate to 10%, as it was in 2017, which could potentially increase PCSO's budget by 3 billion pesos.

“‘Yung immediate po [naming wishlist] ay ang ibalik na lang po ang amin tax. from 20% ay maibalik lang sa 10%—which was in 2017, at marami po tayong magagawa at matutulungan diyan. Kahit 'yun lang po, an increase of 3 billion,” Robles added.