SEN. Christopher “Bong” Go’s Malasakit Team, in coordination with Pontevedra’s Mayor Joemar Alonso and Vice Gov. Jeffrey Ferrer, organized a relief operation for more than a hundred residents from Bago City and Pontevedra in Negros Occidental on Dec. 8.
The said activities were held at the Pontevedra Municipal Gymnasium and at the Barangay Ma-ao covered court in Bago City, where Go’s Malasakit Team handed out snacks, shirts, masks, and vitamins to 278 individuals. They also gave away pairs of shoes to select recipients.
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment conducted an orientation to extend livelihood support through temporary employment to qualified recipients, as part of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers program.
“Sa panahon ngayon, patuloy lang po ang ating pagbabayanihan, mga kababayan ko. Kami po sa gobyerno ay patuloy na gagawa ng mga paraan upang mabalik ang sigla ng ating ekonomiya,” said Go in a video message.
He added: “Asahan niyo po na ako naman ay patuloy niyong magiging kasangga sa Senado at magseserbisyo sa inyo sa abot ng aking makakaya,” he said.
To help local businesses, Go has been pushing for stronger government efforts to boost micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The senator is one of the authors and co-sponsors of the Republic Act (RA) 11960, or the One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines Act.
The OTOP Philippines Program represents a governmental stimulus strategically crafted to nurture the expansion of MSMEs nationwide. The program strongly emphasizes harnessing local resources while concurrently safeguarding the rich tapestry of cultural heritage.
Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, highlighted the presence of Malasakit Centers at Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City, which aims to promote greater access to medical assistance among poor Filipinos.
The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop that brings together representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to assist particularly poor and indigent patients in reducing their hospital bills to the lowest possible amount.
Go is the principal author and sponsor of RA 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program. There are now 159 operational centers that have helped more than 10 million Filipinos nationwide, according to DOH.
Meanwhile, Go shared that there will also be Super Health Centers across the country. Through the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds have been allocated for 307 Super Health Centers in 2022 and 322 in 2023. DOH, the lead implementing agency, identifies the strategic areas where they will be constructed.
In the province of Negros Occidental, DOH has identified several areas to construct Super Health Centers, including the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Cadiz, Himamaylan, San Carlos, and Talisay; and the town of Cauayan, under the 2022 budget. This year, more such centers were funded for the cities of Escalante, Sagay, Silay, Sipalay, and Victorias; and the towns of Binalbagan, Calatrava, Isabela, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, Pulupandan, San Enrique, Toboso, and Valladolid. Additional Super Health Centers will also be established in the cities of Cadiz, Talisay, and San Carlos.
Services offered in the Super Health Centers will 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.
The senator also emphasized the significance of the recently passed RA 11959. As the principal sponsor and one of its authors, the Regional Specialty Centers Act mandates the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers within existing DOH regional hospitals to bring specialized medical care closer to communities.
Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, supported the construction of a revetment, multi-purpose public facilities, and several road maintenance initiatives in Bacolod City; and the construction of a multi-purpose building and concreting of a local road in the town of Don Salvador Benedicto.
Other initiatives that Go pushed for include the construction of multi-purpose buildings in Calatrava and Himamaylan City; road maintenance in Bago City; and construction of a new infectious diseases wing at the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City.
Go likewise principally sponsored RA 11564 that led to the establishment of the Bacolod City General Hospital. This law was officially signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2021.
During the previous day, Go also assisted more displaced workers in Salvador Benedicto./PN
