SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go reaffirmed his efforts to enhancing the housing situation for Filipinos impacted by natural and man-made disasters during the turnover of emergency housing assistance in Cebu City on Friday, April 19.
The senator’s Malasakit Team provided grocery packs, snacks, masks, vitamins, shirts, and balls for basketball and volleyball to 434 fire-hit households gathered at the Sawang Calero gymnasium. They also gave away shoes and a mobile phone to select recipients.
Meanwhile, the National Housing Authority (NHA) provided housing assistance to the beneficiaries through Go’s initiative and support.
Go lauded NHA in delivering financial support for building materials via its Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP). This support is key to helping families quickly rebuild and recover from the destruction of their homes caused by crises. He continues to push for the implementation of the program, helping ensure that victims can reconstruct their homes and restore normalcy as swiftly as possible.
“Yung matatanggap ninyo ngayon, ibili ninyo ng housing materials tulad ng pako, yero o ano pa man na makakatulong sa pagbangon ninyo,” he said during a video call.
The provision of assistance was coordinated with Mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor Raymond Garcia, among others. Councilors Donaldo “Dondon” Hontiveros, Francis Esparis, and NHA 7 Regional Manager Rizalino Cabahug were present during the activity.
Go is also advocating for the passage of Senate Bill No. 192, which aims to establish the Rental Housing Subsidy Program to institutionalize housing and social protection initiatives. This proposed measure intends to provide disaster victims with improved and affordable access to the formal housing market by offering rental subsidies if enacted into law.
“Huwag kayong mag-alala, ang importante buhay tayo at walang nasaktan. Iyan ang importante. Ang gamit mabibili natin ‘yan, ang pera kikitain natin ‘yan. Pero ang pera na ating kikitain ay hindi mabibili ang buhay. A lost life is a lost life forever. Ang importante buhay tayo. Kaya pag-ingatan natin ang buhay na ibinigay sa atin ng Panginoon,” Go said.
Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, also urged residents to focus on their health and utilize the services offered by the Malasakit Centers at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital, and Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), all located in Cebu City.
A brainchild of Go, the Malasakit Centers program provides a one-stop shop where concerned agencies, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, are brought under one roof to ensure that medical assistance programs are within the reach of indigent Filipinos.
Go is the principal author and sponsor of RA 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program. To date, 163 operational centers have helped more than ten million Filipinos nationwide, according to the DOH.
There are also other Malasakit Centers in the province, including Cebu Provincial Hospital in Carcar City, Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital, Eversley Childs Sanitarium and General Hospital in Mandaue City, and Talisay District Hospital in Talisay City.
