SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go provided assistance to fire victims in General Santos City on Tuesday, January 9. In coordination with Mayor Lorelie Pacquiao, Go’s Malasakit Team had the relief activity at the General Santos City Hall.
Go’s team distributed grocery packs, shirts, vitamins, snacks, and balls for basketball and volleyball to eleven affected households. Meanwhile, the National Housing Authority also provided housing assistance to said beneficiaries.
“Itinaguyod natin ang programang Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP) noon at patuloy ko itong sinusuportahan ngayon upang matulungan ang mga biktima ng sunog na makabili ng materyales para sa bahay tulad ng yero, pako, semento, at iba pang kagamitan,” Go explained in a video message.
“Ang importante po magtulungan tayo. Sino pa ba ang magtutulungan kung ‘di tayo lang po mga kapwa Pilipino? Kaya po nandirito kami ngayon para tulungan kayong lahat sa abot ng aming makakaya,” he added.
EHAP aims to provide rebuilding support to families who have lost their homes due to disasters such as fires, typhoons, and earthquakes. By pushing for the continuing implementation of EHAP, affected families are given a boost to rebuild their lives and homes.
Meanwhile, Go, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, offered assistance to those who need medical-related support. The senator encouraged the public to visit Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital in the city or South Cotabato Provincial Hospital in nearby Koronadal City where there are Malasakit Centers available.
Go initiated the Malasakit Centers program in 2018, which was institutionalized in 2019 under Republic Act No. 11463, and was principally authored and sponsored by Go to give relief to Filipinos’ struggles in settling their medical expenses.
The Malasakit Centers house relevant agencies where patients can conveniently avail of medical assistance programs such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
There are now 159 Malasakit Centers nationwide that have helped around ten million Filipinos, according to DOH.
As the vice chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, Go also played a key role in securing funding for the new Outpatient Department Building at Dr. Jorge P. Royeca Hospital, which held its groundbreaking on January 4.
Go also championed the construction of Super Health Centers, which will be strategically located nationwide, with two in the city as identified by DOH.
Services offered in Super Health Centers 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, through which remote diagnosis and treatment of patients is made possible.
Go likewise supported several projects in the city including the construction of multipurpose buildings; the construction of revetment along Makar River, Tinagacan-Buayan River, and Sinawal River; and the acquisition of a mini dump truck.
On the same day, the Malasakit Team also held another relief activity along Velasquez Street in Barangay Dadiangas North for more fire victims.
