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Strengthen health care system: Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go presides over a public hearing conducted by the Committee on Health and Demography Monday, December 18, 2023, on the reported global rise of respiratory illnesses. Go said the government would like to know the country’s preparedness to detect, prevent, minimize, treat and contain the reported global rise of respiratory illnesses and the capacity of the Philippine health care system to handle a surge or outbreak of cases. “Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for us to always prioritize the resilience of our communities and our health systems on which they depend. We learned a lot from the pandemic and we pushed to strengthen our health care systems so that we could always be prepared for whatever health emergency may come,” Go said. According to Go, the Chinese National Health Commission reported an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases last month. He said Europe and North America likewise reported an increase in respiratory incidence. He said the Department of Health also reported a higher number of influenza-like illnesses this year compared to last year. He encouraged the public to wear masks to prevent the illnesses from spreading. (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit)