President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has instructed the immediate creation of the Presidential Help Desk, which will serve as the gateway for Filipinos seeking financial and medical assistance through the Office of the President (OP).
President Marcos issued Executive Order No. 20 which said that the Presidential Help Desk will “complement the existing health services and projects of the government by providing accessible and direct financial and medical assistance to qualified beneficiaries.”
“The Presidential Help Desk shall be administered by the PACe (Presidential Action Center). For this purpose, there shall be a Project Coordinator, directly reporting to the PACe, tasked to 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,” the EO said.
According to Marcos, the creation of such helpdesks will address the overwhelming number of requests particularly for financial and medical assistance.
The PACe will determine the appropriate staffing pattern and corresponding qualification standards for all the positions necessary for the operation of the Presidential Help Desk.
“For this purpose, the PACe, in coordination with the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Finance and Administration, shall submit to the Department of Budget and Management, for review and approval, a proposal on the integration of the Presidential Help Desk into the overall organizational structure and staffing pattern of the PACe,” the EO said.
The funds will be taken from the Office of the President.
According to the Presidential Communications Office, during the first six months of the Marcos administration, the OP received a total of 52,728 action documents from the public.
Of the said number, 20.08% were for medical concerns such as requests for medicines or financial aid “to defray costs of medical procedures and hospital bills.”
Catherine R. Cueto
