'No Filipino should be left behind towards economic recovery' -- Bong Go assists displaced workers from Palayan City, Nueva Ecija

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, adopted son of Nueva Ecija, provided various forms of assistance to underprivileged residents and displaced workers from Palayan City, Nueva Ecija. The event took place at the Plaza Concepcion in Palayan City with 530 beneficiaries benefitting from the outreach.

Go's Malasakit team, in collaboration with the office of Mayor Vianne Cuevas, distributed snacks and shirts to each beneficiary on Thursday, January 11. The senator's staff also gave away a cell phone, shoes, and balls for basketball and volleyball to select recipients.

"Importante na walang maiwan sa ating march towards economic recovery," Go stated, highlighting the need for interventions that benefit especially the impoverished.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) also conducted an orientation for qualified disadvantaged and displaced workers and introduced them to the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program. The program aims to offer employment assistance in the near future.

"Sa pamamagitan ng programa na ito, ang gobyerno ay tumutulong sa mga manggagawang naapektuhan ng krisis at nakakapagbigay ng pansamantalang trabaho sa kanila," Go said in a video message.

"Patuloy po tayong magtutulungan upang mas mapabuti pa ang kalagayan ng ating mga disadvantaged at displaced workers. Magkasama tayo sa layuning ito na makabuo ng mas ligtas at mas matatag na lipunan para sa lahat ng Pilipino," he added.

In the Senate, Go filed Senate Bill No. 420 to further promote the welfare of Filipino workers affected by crises and ensure that those who reside in rural areas lacking job opportunities are taken care of, which seeks to offer temporary employment to eligible members of low-income rural households, who are ready to perform unskilled physical labor for a period of time.

Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, urged residents to prioritize their well-being as he encouraged them to seek the services of the Malasakit Centers in the province for medical-related assistance.

The Malasakit Centers Act, principally authored and sponsored by Go, simplifies access to medical assistance programs from various government agencies, including the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Malasakit Centers in the province are located at Eduardo L. Joson Memorial Hospital and Dr. Paulino J. Garcia Memorial Research and Medical Center (PJGMRMC), both in Cabanatuan City; and in Talavera General Hospital in Talavera town.

"Nung unang panahon, marami sa mga kababayan natin ang kinakailangang pang lumabas ng ospital at pumila sa iba't ibang ahensya ng gobyerno para humingi ng tulong. Ubos na panahon nila, ubos pa ang pera nila sa pamasahe. Mangungutang at ibebenta pa niyan ang kalabaw para may maibayad sa naiwang balanse," Go said.

"Ngayon, hindi na nila kailangang gawin 'yan. Kung may billing kayo sa ospital, puntahan niyo lang ang Malasakit Center at tutulungan kayo nito," he added.

Currently, 159 operational centers have helped more or less ten million Filipinos nationwide, according to DOH.

Go also mentioned his ongoing advocacy for the creation of Super Health Centers across the country, saying, "Makatutulong po ito sa mga kababayan natin na ilapit po ang serbisyong medikal sa kanila. Ilalagay po ito sa mga strategic areas sa buong Pilipinas."

Super Health Centers are medium versions of a polyclinic and an improved version of the rural health unit that offer a range of services, such as 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, which makes remote diagnosis and treatment of patients possible.

Through the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, local government units, and DOH, sufficient funds have been allocated for more than 700 Super Health Centers from 2022 to 2024. DOH, the lead implementing agency, identifies the strategic areas where they will be constructed.

In Nueva Ecija, Super Health Centers will be initially located in Rizal, Cabanatuan City, San Leonardo, Sto. Domingo, Aliaga, Bongabon, Llanera, Science City of Muñoz, and Zaragoza.

Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, helped in the funding of various projects in the province. Among these projects are the construction of the Talavera National High School Amphitheater; the rehabilitation of roads in Cabiao, General Tinio, Pantabangan, Zaragoza, and Cabanatuan City; the construction of flood mitigation structures in General Tinio, Quezon, San Antonio, and Zaragoza; the construction of multipurpose buildings in Gabaldon, Sta. Rosa, and Cabanatuan City; the completion of the PJGMRMC in Cabanatuan City; the reconstruction of the Llanera public market; the rehabilitation of Baloc public market; and the installation of streetlights.