BONG GO ASSISTS FIRE-HIT FAMILIES IN PARAÑAQUE CITY

SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go underscored the need for enhanced fire prevention awareness within local communities while assisting victims of a recent fire incident in Parañaque City.

Go’s Malasakit Team conducted the relief activities at the Golezeum covered court in Barangay BF Homes for a total of 54 affected families on Friday, December 8.

They distributed financial assistance, snacks, water containers, grocery packs, vitamins, masks, shirts, and balls for basketball and volleyball.

In a video message, Go informed the beneficiaries that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) is undergoing a ten-year modernization program, according to the BFP Modernization Act of 2021, which he primarily authored and co-sponsored.

The BFP modernization program, which includes acquiring new fire equipment, hiring more firefighters, and providing specialized trainings, among other initiatives, aims to better prepare and equip BFP to effectively respond to fire-related incidents.

Addressing the affected residents, Go emphasized the irreplaceable value of human life and urged everyone to prioritize safety.

“Sa mga biktima ng sunog, huwag ho kayong mag-alala. Sabi ko nga sa inyo noon, ang gamit ay nabibili, ang pera ay kikitain, subalit ‘yung perang kikitain ay hindi po nabibili ang buhay. A lost life is a lost life forever. Kaya mag-ingat po tayo,” he underscored.

Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, urged those who need medical assistance to visit any of the 31 Malasakit Centers in Metro Manila, which includes the center located at Ospital ng Parañaque.

Designed to assist indigent Filipinos, the Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop where all relevant agencies are brought together under one roof to ensure that medical assistance programs are within the patients’ reach. The Malasakit Centers program has successfully assisted over ten million Filipinos with 159 operational centers nationwide. Go is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019.

Go also championed the construction of Super Health Centers, which will be strategically located nationwide with two in Parañaque City, as identified by the Department of Health (DOH). Through a collective effort of fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds have been allocated for 307 Super Health Centers in 2022 and 322 in 2023. DOH, as the lead implementing agency, identifies strategic areas where these centers will be built.

Meanwhile, Go is the principal sponsor and one of the authors of the recently passed RA 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. The said law mandates the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers within existing DOH regional hospitals.

Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, also supported several initiatives in the city, including the rehabilitation and construction of several multipurpose buildings, and the rehabilitation of drainage in Brgy. Don Bosco, improvement of the Parañaque River Promenade Bridge, and acquisition of an ambulance unit.