SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go’s Malasakit Team assisted a recovering fire-affected household at Nasipit Municipal Hall in Agusan del Norte on Tuesday, December 5. The family received from Go grocery packs, shirts, masks, vitamins, snacks, and balls for volleyball and basketball.
Meanwhile, the National Housing Authority, through its Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), which Go advocated for and continues to support, also provided financial assistance for housing materials to the victims.
“Isinulong natin ang programang EHAP noon at patuloy ko itong sinusuportahan ngayon upang matulungan ang mga biktima ng sunog na makabili ng materyales para sa bahay tulad ng yero, pako, semento, at iba pang kagamitan,” Go said in a video message.
“Sa pamamagitan ng EHAP, bibigyan natin ng pagkakataon ang mga pamilyang nawalan ng bahay na makabangon muli. Magbibigay ito ng tulong pinansyal upang mabili ang mga materyales na kakailanganin sa pagtatayo o pag-aayos ng kanilang mga tahanan. Sa pamamagitan nito, hindi lamang natin sila tinutulungan na magkaroon ulit ng maayos na masisilungan, kundi binibigyan din natin sila ng bagong pag-asa,” he added.
Recently, Go co-sponsored Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2451 or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers bill, which was primarily sponsored by Senator Jinggoy Estrada. The measure, based on the Mandatory Evacuation Center bill that Go earlier filed, aims to establish permanent, well-equipped evacuation centers nationwide.
“Alam n’yo, napapanahon na po na magkaroon tayo ng maayos na evacuation center. Hindi lang po tuwing puputok ang bulkan, kundi tuwing may bagyo, sunog, lindol o ano pa mang sakuna,” he added.
Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, offered to help those in need of medical care and encouraged them to get medical assistance from the Malasakit Center located at the Butuan Medical Center.
Signed into law in 2019, Republic Act No. 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act, which was principally authored and sponsored by Go, institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program to ensure that indigent patients have convenient access to medical assistance programs by the government.
There are now 159 Malasakit Centers nationwide, which have assisted over ten million Filipinos, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
Go also shared that he has been advocating for the establishment of Super Health Centers nationwide, saying, “Makatutulong po ito sa mga kababayan natin na ilapit po ang serbisyong medikal sa kanila. Ilalagay po ito sa mga strategic areas sa buong Pilipinas.”
Through the concerted efforts of lawmakers, adequate funding was allocated for the establishment of 307 Super Health Centers in 2022 and 322 more in 2023.
Super Health Centers are medium versions of a polyclinic and an improved version of the rural health unit that offer a range of services, such as database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray and ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit. Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service, oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, and telemedicine, which makes remote diagnosis and treatment of patients possible.
Furthermore, Go cited the enactment of RA 11959, also known as the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which he principally sponsored and is one of the authors in the Senate.
“It’s a multi-year plan of the government, a five-year plan, na maglalagay po ng mga heart care center, neonatal, ortho, brains, spine, kidney, lung, sa iba’t-ibang DOH regional hospitals para hindi na nila kailangang magbiyahe ng Metro Manila,” he explained.
Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, supported the the construction of a road connecting the NRJ Masao Port Road to the NRJ Butuan City-Agusan del Norte Logistical Highway, NRJ Butuan City-Malaybalay Road to the NRJ Buenavista-Bunaguit Road, NRJ Malaybalay Road to the NRJ Butuan City-Cagayan de Oro-Iligan City Road, Levee Road to the Mayor Democrito-Las Nieves-Sibagat Road, and NRJ BCIR-Jct Logistical Highways; and the concreting of the Tagabaca farm-to-market road in Butuan City.
Other initiatives he supported include the construction of the Las Nieves Bridge and road approaches, Concepcion Bridge in Brgy. Concepcion, and a revetment along the Cabadbaran River in Brgy. Poblacion 9 in Cabadbaran City.
