BONG GO CHAMPIONS CAUSE OF EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT AS HIS TEAM EXTENDS ASSISTANCE TO THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS IN SAN FERNANDO CITY, PAMPANGA

SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go, through his Malasakit Team and in partnership with Governor Delta Pineda and Vice Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda, assisted 3,561 students who benefitted from the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) Special Program for Employment of Students (SPES) in San Fernando City, Pampanga on Tuesday, March 26.

SPES is a lifeline for students striving to support their education, as it allows them to engage in employment during their summer break. Under the auspices of the SPES, students can work in both the private and public sectors as temporary employees, thereby acquiring practical skills and work experience that are invaluable for their future careers.

Employers participating in the SPES must cover 60 percent of the salaries for these student employees, with the remaining 40 percent being subsidized by the DOLE. This cost-sharing arrangement ensures that students receive adequate compensation for their work, making the program an attractive proposition for students and employers.

“Ang programang ito ay isang mahalagang hakbang patungo sa pagkakaroon ng isang mas magandang kinabukasan para sa ating mga estudyante na nangangailangan at nagnanais na magpatuloy ng kanilang pag-aaral habang natutulungan ang kabuhayan ng kanilang pamilya,” expressed Go as he thanked DOLE for such initiatives.

“Ang bawat isa sa inyo ay simbolo ng pag-asa at katatagan. Sa kabila ng mga hamon at pagsubok, patuloy kayong nagsisikap at hindi sumusuko sa pagtupad ng inyong mga pangarap. Bilang inyong lingkod-bayan, nais kong ipaabot ang aking buong suporta sa inyong adhikain na makapagtapos ng pag-aaral at magkaroon ng mas magandang hinaharap,” he continued.

The students were gathered at Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center, where Go’s Malasakit Team gave shirts and balls for basketball and volleyball. Being the Chair of the Senate Sports Committee, Go continues to promote grassroots sports development as a means to encourage the youth to get into sports, stay away from drugs, to keep healthy and fit.

Understanding the mental toll that balancing work and studies can take on students, Go has advocated for enhancing mental health services within the educational system. In line with this advocacy, Go is one of the authors of Senate Bill No. 2598, also known as the State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) Mental Health Services Act. The bill aims to establish Mental Health Offices in every SUC campus nationwide. These offices are tasked with offering comprehensive mental health support and intervention for students, faculty, and staff if enacted into law.

Moreover, Go is the principal sponsor and one of the authors of Republic Act 11959 or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. The law mandates the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers within existing DOH regional hospitals.

The Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital in the city plans to establish a specialty center focusing on mental health and other centers, such as brain and spine care, physical rehabilitation medicine, neonatal care, toxicology care, cancer care, geriatric care, and dermatology care. It has an orthopedic center, infectious disease and tropical medicine, and eye care.

He also encouraged residents to seek the services of the Malasakit Centers located at Jose B. Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital and Overseas Filipino Workers Hospital and Diagnostic Center, both in the city; Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center in Angeles City; and Diosdado Macapagal Memorial Hospital in Guagua, if they need medical assistance.

Under Republic Act No. 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, concerned agencies with medical assistance programs are put together under one roof inside qualified public hospitals to provide easy access for indigent patients. Go is the principal author and sponsor of said law. Currently, 161 Malasakit Centers nationwide have assisted more than ten million Filipinos according to DOH.

To further improve the healthcare system and bring primary care, consultations, and early disease detection closer to communities, Go also advocated establishing more Super Health Centers nationwide. Through the concerted efforts of Go, fellow lawmakers, the DOH, led by Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, and local government units, adequate funding was allocated for more than 700 Super Health Centers nationwide, including 14 in the province.

Go personally inspected the one in Lubao and attended the inauguration of another in Arayat last March 16.

As vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, Go has also supported several projects in the province, including the funding of new equipment for hospitals in San Fernando City and the towns of Arayat, Bacolor, Floridablanca, Guagua, Lubao, Mabalacat, Porac, and San Luis.

To help disadvantaged workers, Go has also filed Senate Bill No. 420, which aims to establish a system for providing short-term employment to eligible individuals from underprivileged households in rural regions. Within the framework of this proposed measure, a program called the Rural Employment Assistance Program (REAP) would be created under DOLE. If enacted into law, the primary objective of REAP is to offer temporary employment opportunities to individuals who meet the criteria of being economically disadvantaged, impoverished, displaced, or seasonal workers.