On Friday, February 17, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go personally led a relief operation in Barangay Marilag, Quezon City to help the city’s indigent residents.
“Sabi ko po paulit-ulit, huwag po kayong magpasalamat sa amin. Kami po’y mga probinsyano lamang na binigyan n’yo po ng pagkakataon na makapagserbisyo po sa inyo. Kami po ang dapat magpasalamat sa inyong lahat,” said Go to the beneficiaries.
“Maraming salamat po sa inyong ibinigay na pagkakataon. Hindi po namin sasayangin ‘yung ibinigay ninyong pagkakataon. Magtatrabaho po kami para sa inyong lahat sa abot ng aming makakaya,” he added.
Go and his team carried out the distribution at the Brgy. Marilag covered court where they assisted 500 struggling residents. They provided them food packs, vitamins, masks, and snacks. The team likewise gave away a bicycle, shoes, cellular phone, shirts, a watch, and balls for basketball and volleyball to select beneficiaries.
Moreover, representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development distributed separate financial aid.
Go, who heads the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, then expressed his commitment to continue boosting the country’s healthcare system. He had earlier initiated the Malasakit Centers program to provide particularly poor and indigent patients more convenient access to medical assistance programs.
Go advised the beneficiaries that there are 11 Malasakit Centers in Quezon City that they may visit to seek help for their health-related expenses.
Principally authored and sponsored by Go, Republic Act No. 11463 institutionalizes the Malasakit Centers program and mandates all Department of Health-run hospitals and the Philippine General Hospital in Manila City to establish their own Malasakit Centers to assist financially incapacitated Filipinos.
“Ang Malasakit Center po ay batas na at isinulong ko na pinirmahan ni dating pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte. Tutulungan ho kayo hanggang maging zero balance ang bill niyo. Para po ito sa mga poor and indigent patients. Meron na pong 154 na Malasakit Centers sa buong Pilipinas, lapitan niyo lang po ang Malasakit Center diyan po sa inyong lugar,” he said.
Malasakit Centers in the city are located at the Lung Center of the Philippines, Novaliches District Hospital, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC), Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC), Philippine Orthopedic Center, National Children’s Hospital, Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC), and Philippine National Police General Hospital.
Go recently visited Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu city last February 10 to celebrate the Malasakit Centers program’s fifth year anniversary. VSMMC hosted the first-ever Malasakit Center in the country back in 2018.
Go was also instrumental in pushing for the funding of six Super Health Centers in the city. These centers will be strategically placed in Brgys. Arsenia J. Maximo, Batasan Hills, Kamuning, Murphy, San Francisco and V. Luna.
Super Health Centers are designed to make basic health services, such as database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit, more accessible to Filipino patients.
Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service; oncology centers; physical therapy and rehabilitation center; and telemedicine, where remote diagnosis and treatment of patients will be done.
Through Go’s initiative, some 307 SHCs were funded in 2022. The senator also successfully pushed for the funding of at least 322 more SHCs in this year’s health budget.
Likewise dedicated to help in the development of Quezon City, Go, as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, supported the construction of multipurpose buildings, flood control structures, and drainage systems in the city.
He likewise supported the rehabilitation of the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Center and VMMC road networks, road and drainage improvement works along the Quirino Highway and P. Dela Cruz Road, construction of an advanced cardiac catheterization laboratory and expansion of the new emergency room building at the EAMC, and construction of a five-story multipurpose building at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo.
Ending his message, Go expressed his gratitude to Quezon City 3rd District Representative Franz Pumaren and all of the local officials for their continued efforts to ensure that their constituents are well-supported, including Mayor Joy Belmonte and Vice Mayor Gian Sotto.
Kaya po ako narito para magserbisyo sa inyo. Hindi ako mangangako. Hindi n’yo po ako maririnig na ipangangako ito… Basta magtatrabaho lang po ako para sa inyo. At sanay po ako sa trabaho. Umaga, tanghali, hapunan, kahit panaginip, nagtatrabaho po ako. Totoo ‘yan, nasanay eh. Kami po’y mga probinsyano na sanay sa trabaho,” he reassured.
Last February 15, Go also took the time to check on the situation of fire victims in the city as he had his team provide them with assistance.
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