SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go, in coordination with Mayor Mercy Acain, dispatched his Malasakit Team to Initao, Misamis Oriental on Thursday, December 21 to assist 322 displaced workers.
The relief effort was held at Initao National Comprehensive High School where all displaced workers received shirts, vitamins, masks, snacks, and balls for basketball and volleyball. Select recipients also received a watch, a mobile phone, and a pair of shoes.
After completing the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program, the agency also provided them with livelihood support through temporary employment.
“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.
Go has also introduced Senate Bill No. 420, designed to create a system that offers temporary jobs to qualified individuals from impoverished families in rural areas. This bill proposes the establishment of the Rural Employment Assistance Program (REAP) under DOLE. The main goal of REAP, if it becomes law, is to provide short-term job opportunities for those identified as economically underprivileged, impoverished, displaced, or seasonal workers.
Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, also mentioned that medical assistance programs are attainable through the Malasakit Center at Northern Mindanao Medical Center and J.R. Borja General Hospital in Cagayan de Oro City.
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, the Malasakit Centers have assisted around ten million Filipinos nationwide, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
“Ang target po ng Malasakit Center ay ma-cover ang inyong billing. Kaya huwag po kayong mahihiyang lumapit sa Malasakit Center dahil para po yan sa inyo, mga kababayan kong Pilipino. At ngayon po, meron na po tayong 159 na Malasakit Centers sa buong Pilipinas na handang tumulong po sa inyo,” explained Go.
Go also mentioned that Super Health Centers are set to be established across the province, including one in the town. The Super Health Center will offer a range of healthcare services, including database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit.
Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service, oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, and telemedicine, through which remote diagnosis and treatment of patients are made possible.
Through the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, local government units, and the DOH, sufficient funds have been allocated for 307 Super Health Centers in 2022 and 322 in 2023. DOH, as the lead implementing agency, identifies the strategic areas where they will be constructed.
Aside from Initao, six Super Health Centers were funded in Cagayan de Oro City. He also helped push for the establishment of Super Health Centers in Gingoog City, Binuangan, Libertad, Balingasag, Claveria, and Tagoloan.
Lastly, Go cited the enactment of RA 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which he principally sponsored and is one of the authors in the Senate.
The law mandates the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers within existing DOH regional hospitals. It stands as a testament to the commitment of the government to uplift the nation’s health infrastructure and bring actual medical services closer to the Filipino people.
Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, likewise supported the construction of a drainage system and flood control structures along the Iponan River, the acquisition of several ambulance units and fire and dump trucks, and the construction of a three-story multipurpose building in Barangay 33.
Other projects he supported include the flood control projects in Magsaysay, Medina, and Gingoog City; the construction of multipurpose buildings in Initao, Magsaysay, and Gingoog City; rehabilitation of local roads in Baliangao, Balingasag, Balingoan, Initao, Lagonglong, Laguindingan, Libertad, Lugait, Magsaysay, Manticao and El Salvador City; and construction of water systems in Balingasag and Jasaan.
