Bong Go helps uplift lives of displaced workers in Batangas City and Taal, Batangas

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, adopted son of CALABARZON and has familial ties to the Tesoro clan of Batangas, provided assistance to disadvantaged workers in Batangas City and Taal on Thursday, January 11.

Go's Malasakit Team coordinated with Board Members Arlina Magboo and Claudette Amdida, and Taal Mayor Fulgencio Mercado and held the relief activities at the Batangas City Session Hall and Escuela Pia in Taal. A total of 269 disadvantaged workers received masks, vitamins, snacks, shirts, and balls for basketball and volleyball. There were also select recipients of shoes and a watch.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) also provided support to said beneficiaries after they have completed the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program for temporary employment to qualified beneficiaries.

"Sa totoo lang po, 'wag po kayong magpasalamat sa amin. Kami po ang dapat magpasalamat sa inyo dahil binigyan n'yo kami ng pagkakataon na makapagserbisyo sa inyo. Kaya hinding-hindi ko sasayangin ang pagkakataon na ibinigay ninyo sa akin. Magtatrabaho po ako para sa Pilipino sa abot ng aking makakaya," Go encouraged in a video message.

Go also emphasized the importance of protecting the welfare of disadvantaged workers, particularly those in rural areas who require additional employment opportunities.

In response, the lawmaker filed Senate Bill No. 420, which advocates for setting up a framework to offer short-term job opportunities for qualified individuals from low-income rural families. The bill proposes the creation of the Rural Employment Assistance Program (REAP) within the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Should this bill become a law, REAP would primarily focus on providing temporary employment options to those who qualify based on economic hardship, poverty, displacement, or reliance on seasonal work.

"Patuloy po tayong magtulungan upang mas mapabuti pa ang kalagayan ng ating mga disadvantaged at displaced workers. Magkasama tayo sa layuning ito na makabuo ng mas maginhawa at mas matatag na lipunan para sa lahat ng Pilipino," Go said.

Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, also urged the community to utilize the medical support available at any of the Malasakit Centers within the province, specifically at the Batangas Medical Center in Batangas City and the Batangas Provincial Hospital in Lemery.

First established in 2018, the Malasakit Centers are designed to be one-stop shops for medical assistance programs offered by concerned agencies, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health (DOH), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Go is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program. As of now, 159 active centers have assisted approximately ten million Filipinos across the country, as reported by the DOH.

The senator also emphasized his efforts in advocating for the creation of additional Super Health Centers throughout the nation. Through the collective efforts of Go, DOH, local government units, and fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds have been allocated for the construction of 307 Super Health Centers in 2022, 322 in 2023, and 132 in 2024.

As the lead implementing agency, DOH identifies the strategic areas where these Super Health Centers will be established.

Super Health Centers offer health services including database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, 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.

In the province, three Super Health Centers are funded in Lipa City, and one each for San Pascual, Agoncillo, Calatagan, San Jose, Malvar, Taysan, Ibaan, San Juan, Tingloy, and Lian.

Go also emphasized the importance of RA 11959 or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. He is the principal sponsor and one of the authors of the new law which specifically mandates the formation of Regional Specialty Centers within the current regional hospitals overseen by the DOH.

In Batangas Medical Center, there are three Regional Specialty Centers, including Mental Health, Neo-Natal Care, and Geriatric Care. Other Regional Specialty Centers are set to be established inside the hospital such as cancer care, cardiovascular care, renal care and transplant center, lung care, brain and spine care, orthopedic center, physical rehabilitation medicine, burn care, trauma care, toxicology, infectious disease and tropical medicine, and eye care.

Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, extended help securing funds in several projects, including the construction of multipurpose buildings in Alitagtag, Batangas City, Ibaan, Lemery, Lipa City, Mabini, San Jose, San Juan, San Luis, San Nicolas, Santo Tomas, and Taal; the concretion of farm-to-market roads in Agoncillo, Laurel, Nasugbu, and Tuy; the acquisition of ambulance units in Ibaan and Lemery; and the acquisition of multipurpose vehicles in Lipa City and San Juan.