The administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will 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).

Based on Executive Order no. 20, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on March 21, 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 read.

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.

During the first six months of the Marcos administration, the OP, through the PACe (formerly the Presidential Complaint Center), 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, according to the EO.

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.

“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.” Presidential News Desk