ON Friday, May 10, the Office of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go delivered additional support to fire victims in Barangay Alabang, Muntinlupa City, expressing his commitment to help during their time of need.
“Mahirap pong masunugan. Masakit masunugan. Tinatanong ko una, mayroon bang nasaktan o namatay? Dahil tandaan po natin ang gamit po nabibili. Ang damit po nalalabhan. Ang pera po’y kikitain. Subalit ang perang kikitain ay hindi po nabibili ang buhay. A lost life is a lost life forever. Diyos lang po ang nakakaalam kung kailan tayo mawawala sa mundong ito. Pasalamat tayo buhay po tayo at magtulungan lang po tayo,” Go said during a video call.
Held at the Alabang Elementary School covered court, 483 affected families received grocery packs, water containers, snacks, vitamins, masks, shirts, and balls for basketball and volleyball from Go’s Malasakit Team.
The National Housing Authority (NHA), through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), which Go advocated for and continues to support, provided financial assistance to the victims to help rebuild their homes.
“Isinulong natin ang programang EHAP noon at patuloy ko itong sinusuportahan ngayon upang matulungan ang mga biktima ng sunog at iba pang sakuna na makabili ng materyales para sa bahay tulad ng yero, pako, semento, at iba pang pangangailangan,” Go explained.
Central to Go’s advocacies is Republic Act No. 11589, or the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Modernization Act of 2021, which he primarily authored and co-sponsored. This legislation provides a comprehensive ten-year modernization program for the BFP, including recruiting additional firefighters, acquiring modern fire-fighting equipment, and providing specialized training.
The senator also pointed out that several reasons, including fires, natural disasters, poverty, unemployment, and limited access to affordable housing, cause homelessness in the country. For this reason, he continues to push for his filed Senate Bill No. 192, which seeks to institutionalize a Rental Housing Subsidy Program.
Under the proposed measure, a housing and social protection program will be developed to provide disaster victims better and more affordable access to the formal housing market through the provision of rental subsidies provided by the government if enacted into law.
Meanwhile, Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, also successfully pushed the Malasakit Centers program to reduce the financial strain on individuals needing medical services. Malasakit Centers are located in the city at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and Ospital ng Muntinlupa.
Principally sponsored and authored by Go and with the help of his fellow lawmakers, the Malasakit Centers program was institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11463 in 2019.
This program aims to consolidate various government medical assistance into a single, accessible location, offering a one-stop shop for easier access. These centers aim to help economically disadvantaged and indigent patients decrease their medical costs.
The 165 centers throughout the country have helped more than ten million underprivileged Filipinos, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
As he continues to be committed to enhancing the quality of public service in urban communities, Go, who serves as the Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, supported the acquisition of medicines for the city’s Rolling Botika, a multipurpose vehicle, the construction of an evacuation center and a stand-alone dialysis clinic inside the Bureau of Corrections — all in Muntinlupa.
“Patuloy kaming magseserbisyo sa inyo dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at ako ay naniniwala na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo ‘yan sa Panginoon, serbisyo ‘yan kay Allah,” underscored Go who is known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassionate service to Filipinos in need.
