SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go‘s Malasakit Team continues to provide assistance to more flood victims as they gave away grocery packs to 2,000 affected households from Manay, Caraga, Baganga, Tarragona, Lupon, Boston, Governor Generoso, and San Isidro, all in the province of Davao Oriental on January 27 and 30. The relief activities were held in their respective municipal halls.
Go reiterated that he continues to push for Senate Bill No. 2451, titled the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, which he co-sponsored and is one of the authors in the Senate. The proposed bill was primarily sponsored by Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Initially based on the Mandatory Evacuation Center bill filed by Go, this proposed legislation seeks to create permanent and fully-equipped evacuation centers nationwide.
“Isa po sa mga isinusulong ko ang pagkakaroon ng malinis at ligtas na evacuation center sa mga probinsya. Itong mga centers na ito ay dapat mayroong sapat na mga emergency packs, katulad ng blankets, tubig, gamot, flashlight, at ready na relief goods. Obligasyon ng gobyerno na palaging maging handa sa oras ng sakuna,” stressed Go.
Apart from the relief goods, Go encouraged the residents to seek the services of the Malasakit Center, which is situated at Davao Oriental Provincial Medical Center in Mati City, if they need medical assistance.
A brainchild of Go, the Malasakit Centers program provides one-stop shops where concerned agencies are brought under one roof to ensure that medical assistance programs are more conveniently within the reach of indigent Filipinos. Republic Act No. 11463, which Go principally sponsored and authored, institutionalized the Malasakit Centers. As of this writing, the program has established 159 Malasakit Centers and assisted around ten million indigent patients nationwide.
Meanwhile, Go highlighted that accessibility to quality healthcare continues to be his priority, as he mentioned that he supported the funding for more than 700 Super Health Centers nationwide, especially in areas where access to quality medical care is limited.
The Super Health Center is a medium version of a polyclinic yet an improved version of the rural health unit. The services available in the center include database management, outpatient care, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and the 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.
Through the collective efforts of the Department of Health (DOH) led by Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa, local government units (LGU), and fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds have been allocated under the DOH for the construction of 307 Super Health Centers in 2022, 322 in 2023, and 132 in 2024.
In Davao Oriental, a total of 14 Super Health Centers were funded. Last January 26, Go personally attended the groundbreaking of one in Mati City.
Moreover, Go is the principal sponsor and one of the authors of Republic Act 11959 or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. The law mandates the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers within existing DOH regional hospitals.
Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance has been a staunch supporter of various initiatives in the province. These include the rehabilitation of roads in Banaybanay, Baganga, Boston, Caraga, Lupon, Manay, and San Isidro; the construction of multipurpose buildings in Banaybanay, Lupon, Governor Generoso, San Isidro, and Caraga; street lighting project in Lupon and Banaybanay; construction of potable water systems in Baganga, Lupon, and Manay; and construction of flood mitigation structures in Caraga, Cateel, Lupon, Manay, San Isidro, and Tarragona; rehabilitation of drainage systems in Lupon and San Isidro; and construction of a slaughterhouse in San Isidro.
He also supported the acquisition of a motor vehicle for Lupon; and ambulances for the local government of Baganga, Boston, Caraga, Cateel, Manay, and Tarragona.
In Mati City, Go supported the construction of several roads, the construction of the Davao Oriental Sports Complex, the rehabilitation of Buso Hot Spring Park, and the construction of a Public Park/Eco-Tourism Park and a multipurpose building.
Go’s Malasakit Team also provided immediate assistance to flood victims in Davao del Norte and Davao de Oro.
