Bong Go assists fire victims in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go dispatched his staff to provide assistance to fire victims in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental on Friday, September 15. Go’s team, in coordination with Barangay 7 Captain Hercy Sibug, provided grocery packs, financial assistance, snacks, shirts, and balls for basketball and volleyball for 65 fire-affected households at the Barangay 7 Covered Court.

In his video message, Go emphasized the significance of Republic Act No. 11589, or the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Modernization Act, in enhancing the agency’s ability to effectively address fire-related emergencies.

RA 11589, in which Go is an author and co-sponsor in the Senate, mandates a ten-year modernization program for the BFP. This initiative encompasses the procurement of modern firefighting equipment, the expansion of the firefighter workforce, and the facilitation of specialized training, among other key provisions.

“Magdasal po tayo at ipagdasal po natin ‘yung mga mahal natin sa buhay. Ang gamit po nabibili. Ang pera po ay kikitain rin po natin, magsipag lang tayo. Subalit ‘yung perang kikitain ay hindi po nabibili ang buhay. Ang nawalang buhay po ay wala na. A lost life is a lost life forever. Kaya pag-ingatan natin ang buhay na ibinigay sa atin ng Panginoon,” Go said.

Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, also offered to help those with health needs. He encouraged them to visit Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) in the city, where there is a Malasakit Center available.

“Sa mga pasyente, lapitan niyo lang ang Malasakit Center dahil para ‘to sa inyo. Kung may hospital bill kayo, nandiyan ang mga ahensya ng gobyerno na tutulong para mabayaran ito. Tutulungan kayo ng Malasakit Center upang pababain ang inyong hospital billing,” Go said.

Go initiated the Malasakit Centers program after he personally witnessed the struggles of disadvantaged Filipinos in settling their hospital bills. He successfully pushed for the passage of RA 11463, which he principally sponsored and authored in 2019.

The center is home to concerned agencies mandated to provide patients with medical assistance, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. There are now 159 Malasakit Centers nationwide.

Moreover, Go said that DOH has identified areas for the establishment of Super Health Centers nationwide.

Through the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds have been allocated for 307 Super Health Centers in 2022 and 322 Super Health Centers in 2023. DOH, the lead implementing agency, identifies strategic areas where these centers will be built.

Super Health Centers offer 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 center and telemedicine, through which remote diagnosis and treatment of patients are made possible.

In Negros Occidental, Super Health Centers funded in 2022 will be constructed in the cities of Bago, Cadiz, Himamaylan, San Carlos, and Talisay, and in the town of Cauayan.

This year, more such centers were funded for the cities of Escalante, Sagay, Silay, Sipalay, and Victorias; and in the towns of Binalbagan, Calatrava, Cauayan, 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.

Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, likewise supported various projects in the city, including 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 championed the passage of the law that led to the establishment of the Bacolod City General Hospital. This law was officially ratified into law by former President Rodrigo Duterte in the year 2021.