SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go‘s Malasakit Team continued their efforts following a series of relief operations in the Davao region as it mounted another distribution activity for the flood and landslide victims in Davao City on Thursday, February 8.
The 209 affected families were Barangays Tamugan, Salaysay, Suawan, and Marilog Proper residents, all in Marilog District. All households received rice packs and shirts from Go. There were also select recipients of sling bags and balls for basketball and volleyball.
Relief activities were held at the respective barangay gymnasiums of Tamugan, Kibalang, Masawang, and Suawan to cater to the beneficiaries efficiently.
Go, known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassion to communities in need, underscored the urgency for the government to develop more robust and effective strategies to manage disaster-related situations.
He reiterated his call for the passage of his Senate Bill No. 188, also known as the Department of Disaster Resilience Act. Go highlighted the necessity of establishing a dedicated department to proactively handle calamity-related issues, pointing out the country’s high susceptibility to weather disturbances due to its geographical positioning.
“Bago pa dumating ang bagyo, mayroon na hong makikipag-coordinate sa LGUs, preposition of goods at ilikas po ang mga kababayan natin sa ligtas na lugar. At pag-alis ng bagyo, restoration of normalcy kaagad, maibalik kaagad sa normal ang pamumuhay ng mga kababayan natin. Yan po ang layunin ng Department of Disaster Resilience,” Go said.
As Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go offered assistance to those needing medical care. He informed the public that there is a Malasakit Center located at Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in the city where they may apply for medical assistance.
Currently, 159 operational centers have assisted approximately ten million Filipinos nationwide, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
Furthermore, Go aims to bring the government’s public health services closer to Filipinos as he supports the construction of Super Health Centers in the city, including Brgys. Cabantian, Malabog, Calinan, Catalunan Grande, Indangan, Paquibato, Tacunan, and Tibungco. On January 16, he also attended the inauguration ceremonies for Super Health Centers in Brgys. Los Amigos and Toril Proper, as well as the groundbreaking event for the center in Brgy. Dumoy.
Through the collective efforts of Go, DOH led by Secretary Teodoro Herbosa Jr., local government units, and fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds have been allocated for 307 Super Health Centers in 2022 and 322 in 2023. There will also be 132 Super Health Centers funded in 2024. As the leading implementing agency, DOH identifies the strategic areas where they will be constructed.
Moreover, Go is the principal sponsor and one of the authors of RA 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. The law mandates the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers within existing DOH regional hospitals.
There are specialty centers inside SPMC, which include cardiovascular care, lung care, neonatal care, trauma care, toxicology, cancer care, eye care, and dermatology care. It will also soon provide a renal care and transplant center, brain and spine care, orthopedic center, physical rehabilitation medicine, mental health, burn care, infectious disease and tropical medicine, and geriatric care.
To further improve the city’s public service delivery, Go, as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, supported several infrastructure projects, including the construction of various multipurpose buildings and local roads, the rehabilitation of water systems, drainage systems, and flood control structures in different barangays throughout the city, the construction of a 300-bed capacity infectious diseases building for SPMC, and the acquisition of ambulances.
