CHAMPIONING disaster resilience and helping communities recover from calamities, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go provided assistance to the victims of floods and landslides that displaced thousands of families in Davao de Oro.
Go’s Malasakit Team distributed 1,500 rice packs to identified affected residents of Compostela, Mabini, Pantukan, Nabunturan, Monkayo, and Montevista. The relief activity was held at the towns’ respective municipal halls on January 24.
Go, who hails from Davao City, expressed his sympathy and solidarity with his fellow Davaoeños who suffered from natural disasters.
“I extend my help and support to our brothers and sisters in Davao de Oro. We are one family and we will overcome this challenge together,” Go said.
The calamities were caused by the combined effects of the Northeast Monsoon and the trough of a low-pressure area. The death toll in Davao de Oro has risen to 17 due to the floods and landslides.
The lawmaker then reiterated his push for the passage of his filed measure, Senate Bill No. 188, which seeks to establish the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR). The proposed measure aims to create a department led by a Cabinet-level secretary that would focus on holistic approaches to enhance disaster preparedness, mitigation and recovery efforts.
Go added that the proposed DDR shall concentrate on three significant areas such as disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery and building forward better.
Go also co-sponsored and is one of the authors of SBN 2451 or the ‘Ligtas Pinoy Centers’ bill. The proposed measure was primarily sponsored by Senator Jinggoy Estrada. Initially based on the Mandatory Evacuation Center bill previously filed by Go, this 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.
As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of prioritizing health for the residents amid ongoing crises and calamities.
He encouraged residents to avail of medical assistance through the Malasakit Centers, conveniently located at Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital branches in Laak, Montevista, Maragusan, and Pantukan, as well as the Davao Regional Medical Center in nearby Tagum City.
Initiated by Go in 2018, the Malasakit Centers serve as one-stop shops, bringing together multiple government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, to ensure medical assistance programs are accessible to indigent Filipinos.
Go is the principal author and sponsor of RA 11463, also known as the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019. There are now 159 operational centers that have assisted around ten million Filipinos, as reported by DOH.
Go also highlighted the role of Super Health Centers in making quality healthcare services accessible to all Filipinos, especially those living in remote and underserved areas.
Services offered in Super Health Centers include database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray and 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 the collective efforts of the DOH led by Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, local government units, 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. As the lead implementing agency, DOH identifies the strategic areas where these Super Health Centers will be established.
In Davao de Oro, a total of nine Super Health Centers are funded.
He also underscored the importance of bringing specialized medical services closer to communities by establishing dedicated specialty centers in regional hospitals under the DOH.
Go is the principal sponsor and one of the authors of RA 11959 or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. The newly enacted law includes provisions for the establishment of specialty centers within existing government-controlled corporations or specialty hospitals. It also outlines the specific service capabilities that DOH will implement in regional hospitals.
Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, has actively supported various infrastructure projects in Davao de Oro. His contributions include the construction of a multipurpose building in Compostela; the construction of the Monkayo, Compostela Valley-Veruela Road; and the improvement of the public market in Monkayo.
Other major initiatives he supported include the construction of the Nabunturan-Maco and Nabunturan-Laak roads; the installation of street lights in Nabunturan; the rehabilitation of the local roads and bridges in New Bataan; and the concreting of the local access road in Pantukan.
Aside from Davao de Oro, Go and his Malasakit Team also aided flood and landslide victims in Davao del Norte and Davao Oriental.
