By Janine Dumaguin
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration will establish a Presidential Help Desk aiming to handle the public’s financial and medical assistance requests to the Office of the President (OP).
Based on Executive Order (EO) No. 20, the help desk will complement the government’s existing health services and projects through giving direct financial and medical support to qualified beneficiaries.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed the EO which tasks the Presidential Action Center (PACe) to administer the help desk.
“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 read.
The EO also stated that PACe will submit an annual report on the operations of the help desk to the President via the Office of the Executive Secretary.
It noted that during the first six months of the administration, PACe has received a total of 52,728 action documents from the public, 20.08% of which are related to medical concerns.
The EO further said that PACe will choose the best staffing pattern and corresponding qualification standards for each position required to run the help desk.
Meanwhile, the Department of Budget and Management under the EO will review and approve the overall organizational structure and staffing pattern of the PACe.
The funding for the help desk will be charged “against appropriate funding sources under the OP.” -ag
