TO uplift the lives of struggling workers in Makati City, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, on Thursday, June 6, assisted nearly a thousand displaced workers in Barangay Poblacion in collaboration with Congressman Kid Peña.
During the activity held at the Brgy. Poblacion covered court, Go’s Malasakit team distributed snacks, masks, vitamins, shirts, basketballs, and volleyballs to 726 urban poor beneficiaries.
Furthermore, they gave select recipients a bicycle, mobile phone, and shoes.
Concurrently, the Department of Labor and Employment offered employment assistance through their TUPAD program for qualified disadvantaged and displaced workers.
“Sa pamamagitan ng programa na ito, tayo ay nakatutulong sa mga manggagawang naapektuhan ng krisis at nagbibigay ng agarang tulong sa kanilang mga pangangailangan,” Go said in a video message.
“Patuloy po tayong magtutulungan upang mas mapabuti pa ang kalagayan ng ating mga disadvantaged at displaced workers. Magkasama tayo sa layuning ito na makabuo ng mas makatarungan at mas matatag na lipunan para sa lahat ng Pilipino,” he added.
To further promote Filipino workers’ welfare, Go filed Senate Bill No. 1705 last year, which proposes to increase the service incentive leave of private sector employees, and SBN 1707, which seeks to provide competitive remuneration and compensation packages to social workers in the country if enacted into law.
He also filed SBN 2107, or the “Freelance Workers Protection Act,” which seeks to provide protection and incentives for freelance workers. If passed, the measure aims to recognize freelance workers’ rights and ensure that they are protected and adequately compensated for their services.
To further alleviate the economic strain on Filipino families, Go co-authored and supported SBN 2534, which proposes a nationwide increase in the daily minimum wage by PhP100.
To ensure that those who reside in rural areas lacking job opportunities are taken care of, Go also filed SBN 420, which seeks to offer temporary employment to eligible members of low-income rural households ready to perform unskilled physical labor for some time.
Meanwhile, the senator also offered to assist further those who need medical attention and advised them to seek aid from the government through any of the 32 Malasakit Centers across Metro Manila.
Malasakit Centers bring together representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Health, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. These one-stop shops aim to support impoverished patients in reducing their hospital costs to the least possible amount.
Go is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program. To date, 165 operational centers have helped more or less ten million Filipinos nationwide, according to DOH.
“Tandaan niyo po mahal na mahal ko po kayong lahat. Ako po ang inyong Mr. Malasakit Senador Kuya Bong Go patuloy na magseserbisyo sa inyong lahat dahil bisyo ko po ang magserbisyo,” he concluded.
