MANILA – Malacañang said that the Marcos administration would establish a Presidential Help Desk to address the financial and medical requests for assistance being submitted by the public to the Office of the President (OP).
Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said this after Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed Executive Order no. 20 on March 21.
In a statement on Thursday, March 23, the Palace official said the Presidential Help Desk would complement the government’s existing health services and projects by providing accessible and direct financial and medical assistance to qualified beneficiaries.
Based on the EO, the Presidential Help Desk shall be administered by the PACe (Presidential Action Center), formerly the Presidential Complaint Center.
During the first six months of the Marcos administration, the OP, through 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 aid to defray costs of medical procedures and hospital bills.
Operations
A Project Coordinator, tasked to ensure that the day-to-day implementation of the project is managed effectively, efficiently, and economically, will directly report to the PACe.
The Project Coordinator will also oversee the operational activities of the project, including the performance of all employees and personnel.
EO No. 20 also provides that the PACe will also submit to the President, via the Office of the Executive Secretary, an annual report on the operations of the Presidential Help Desk.
It noted that the head of the PACe would determine the appropriate staffing pattern and corresponding qualification standards for all the positions necessary to operate 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.
Pending the approval of the revised organizational structure and staffing pattern, the EO said the PACe “may tap into its existing manpower to ensure the immediate implementation of the project.”
EO no. 20 also said the funds necessary for the Presidential Help Desk to operate will be charged “against appropriate funding sources under the OP.”
