BONG GO EXTENDS HELP TO TYPHOON VICTIMS IN BANATE, ILOILO

Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, in collaboration with the local government led by Mayor Peter Paul Gonzales and Vice Mayor Jun Iran, remains committed to aiding disaster victims in Banate, Iloilo. His Malasakit Team was dispatched to the province on Thursday, November 7, to offer additional support to those affected by recent typhoons.

To champion proactive disaster preparedness, Go underscored the urgency of establishing permanent evacuation centers throughout the Philippines. He rallied support for enhancing disaster readiness, pushing for Senate Bill No. 2451 or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers bill.

Principally authored and co-sponsored by Go, this bill builds upon his filed earlier version, the Mandatory Evacuation Center bill. It aims to create well-equipped, permanent evacuation facilities nationwide. The bill already passed its third and final reading in the Senate, and is now waiting to be signed into law.

“Panahon na dapat tayo ay magkaroon ng maayos na evacuation center sa bawat probinsiya o siyudad. Dapat tayo ay maging ready at palakasin ang resiliency,” emphasized Go.

Moreover, Go filed SBN 192, which seeks to institutionalize a Rental Housing Subsidy Program. This proposed measure aims to develop a housing and social protection program that offers disaster victims better and more affordable access to the formal housing market through government-provided rental subsidies if enacted.

During the said initiative, Go’s Malasakit Team distributed food packs, shirts, fans, basketballs, and volleyballs to 200 beneficiaries gathered at Banate Evacuation Center.

As the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go also extended assistance to those needing medical-related support. He encouraged the public to visit any Malasakit Centers nationwide, including those in Iloilo located at Western Visayas Medical Center and West Visayas State University Medical Center, both in Iloilo City; Don Jose D. Monfort Medical Center Extension Hospital in Barotac Nuevo; and Western Visayas Sanitarium and General Hospital in Sta. Barbara.

Go initiated the Malasakit Centers program in 2018 after witnessing the struggles of financially disadvantaged Filipinos in settling their medical expenses. The program, institutionalized in 2019 under Republic Act No. 11463, was principally authored and sponsored by Go.

Since its inception, the program has established 166 Malasakit Centers across the country, with the Department of Health reporting that over 15 million Filipinos have benefitted from these centers.

“Ilapit natin ang serbisyo ng gobyerno sa mga nangangailangan nito lalo na pagdating sa kalusugan ng mga mahihirap nating kababayan. Bilang inyong Mr. Malasakit, patuloy kaming magseserbisyo sa inyo dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at ako ay naniniwala na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo ‘yan sa Panginoon, serbisyo ‘yan kay Allah,” underscored Go.