THE Malasakit Team of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go conducted a relief operation for struggling residents in Abulug, Cagayan on Thursday, December 14. The relief operation comes exactly a week after he spearheaded a similar mission in Pamplona.
The relief operation was held at Abulug Municipal Hall where a total of 130 residents were assisted. The beneficiaries received masks, vitamins, shirts, balls for basketball and volleyball, and shoes, among others.
Through Go’s initiative, the National Housing Authority, with its Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), also assisted qualified beneficiaries to help them further rebuild.
“Sinikap din natin na mabigyan sila ng National Housing Authority ng ayuda pambili ng housing materials tulad ng pako, yero at iba pa upang maisaayos muli ang kanilang mga tirahan,” Go highlighted.
“Itong EHAP program, isinulong ko ito noon at patuloy na sinusuportahang maimplementa ang programa ngayon upang mas marami pang mga biktima ng sakuna ang makapagpatayo ng maayos na bahay at makabangon muli mula sa trahedya,” he added.
Go also stressed the importance of prioritizing one’s health, as he encouraged them to seek the services of the Malasakit Center located at Cagayan Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in Tuguegarao City for government-backed medical assistance.
When he was still Special Assistant to former president Rodrigo Duterte, Go launched the Malasakit Centers program in 2018, with the inaugural center opening in Cebu City. It was later institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11463, which was principally authored and sponsored by Go when he won a Senate seat in 2019.
The Department of Health (DOH) reported that there are now 159 Malasakit Centers nationwide, which have assisted around ten million indigent Filipinos and counting.
Furthermore, Go cited that eight Super Health Centers were funded in the province to bring primary care, medical consultations, and early disease detection closer to communities, including in Sta. Praxedes, Peñablanca, Sta. Teresita, Buguey, Lal-lo, Aparri, Sto. Niño, and Tuao.
Through the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, local government units, and DOH, 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.
He also highlighted the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers through RA 11959, which was recently signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. Go is a principal sponsor and one of the authors in the Senate of the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which mandates the establishment of regional specialty centers within existing DOH regional hospitals.
In CVMC, there is an existing specialty center for cancer care. There are also other planned specialized facilities, such as cardiovascular care, renal care and transplant center, lung care, brain and spine, orthopedic center, physical rehabilitation medicine, mental health, neonatal care, trauma care, geriatric care, infectious disease and tropical medicine, and eye care.
To help boost the delivery of public service in the province, Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, also extended his support for the construction of a revetment along the Cagayan River; installation of street lights in Lal-lo; construction of various roads in Sta Teresita, Aparri, Amulung, Baggao, Calayan, Gonzaga, Iguig, Santa Ana, Enrile, Tuao and Tuguegarao City; construction of a river control structure at the Zinundungan River; installation of streetlights in Camalaniugan; and upgrading of the CVMC.