Bong Go provides immediate assistance to fire victims in Tacloban City, Leyte

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go maintains his commitment to helping crisis-hit communities as he dispatched his team to provide immediate relief to fire-affected families at the Barangay 51 Hall in Tacloban City, Leyte on Tuesday, April 16.

In coordination with Barangay 51 Captain Evella Almerino, the senator's Malasakit Team distributed grocery packs, water containers, financial assistance, snacks, shirts, and volleyball and basketball balls for 26 households. There were also select recipients of cellular phones and shoes.

The National Housing Authority then assessed the affected households who may qualify for further housing assistance through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP), an initiative that Go continues to support.

"Huwag po kayong mawalan ng pag-asa, ang importante ay buhay kayo. Ang gamit po ay napapalitan, ang pera ay kikitain pero ang pera ay hindi nabibili ang buhay. A lost life is a lost life forever. Kaya pangalagaan natin ang buhay na binigay sa atin ng Panginoon," Go said in a video message.

Highlighting the importance of clean, permanent, and safe evacuation centers across the country, Go vigorously supports the proposal to create mandatory evacuation centers in communities through Senate Bill No. (SBN) 2451, known as the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, which he co-sponsored and is one of the authors in the Senate. The bill, principally sponsored by Senator Jinggoy Estrada, seeks to create nationwide, well-equipped, permanent evacuation centers.

Drawing on the lessons from Typhoon Yolanda's impact on Tacloban City in 2013, Go underscored the significance of the proposed bill, which requires the establishment of evacuation centers in areas susceptible to natural disasters. These evacuation centers are designed to be equipped with the necessary facilities to provide temporary shelter and essential services to evacuees during disasters.

"Dapat po mayroon tayong maayos na evacuation center. Ngayon, by region po yata eh. Kulang talaga. Tuwing may bagyo, sunog, putok ng bulkan nagagamit po 'yung eskwelahan as evacuation center, naantala pa ang pag-aaral. So sana ay magkaroon tayo ng ligtas, maayos, malinis, at komportable na evacuation center sa bawat syudad, munisipyo, at probinsya, 'yun po ang aking isinusulong sa Senado," he stressed.

Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, principally authored and sponsored the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019. It is for this reason he encouraged those with health concerns to seek the services of the Malasakit Centers at New Western Leyte Provincial Hospital in Baybay City, Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center (EVRMC) in Tacloban City, Ormoc District Hospital in Ormoc City, and Leyte Provincial Hospital and Governor Benjamin T. Romualdez General Hospital and Schistosomiasis Center (GBTRGHSC) in Palo.

Designed to assist poor and indigent Filipinos, the Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop where relevant agencies are brought together under one roof to ensure that medical assistance programs are within the patients' reach. As of April 17, there are now 163 Malasakit centers and helped more than ten million Filipinos nationwide, according to the Department of Health.

Meanwhile, he also mentioned that 20 Super Health Centers are funded in the province of Leyte. Through the collective efforts of Go, DOH, LGUs, and fellow lawmakers, sufficient funds have been allocated to build more than 700 Super Health Centers nationwide to bring primary care, medical consultations and early disease detection closer to communities.

Go, an adopted son of Leyte and vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance supported the construction of multipurpose buildings in Alangalang, Babatngon, Carigara, Dagami, Isabel, Jaro, La Paz, Leyte and Tolosa; construction of the Merida Community Hospital; construction of flood control structures in Alangalang, Javier, Tanauan and Tolosa; and acquisition of dump trucks for the local governments of Isabel and Villaba, among others local projects to improve public service delivery in the province.

"Patuloy akong tutulong at magseserbisyo sa inyo sa abot ng aking makakaya dahil ang tangi kong bisyo ay magserbisyo at naniniwala ako na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo sa Diyos," Go said who is known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassionate service to sectors in need.