For many of our fellow Filipinos who can barely afford their daily expenses, getting treated in a hospital is oftentimes a burdensome choice that they resort to only if it is a matter of life and death. Usually, our struggling kababayans choose to endure their illness for fear of falling deeper into debt due to huge hospital bills, medicines and other expenses. And by this time, an ordinary disease has already become a serious medical condition.
Their plight is what inspired us to initiate the Malasakit Centers program in 2018 which provides one-stop shops where our indigent patients may more conveniently access medical assistance from the government.
By bringing together programs of various government agencies under one roof, such as the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, the centers streamline the process of availing medical assistance.
I have been appealing to officials and workers in the health sector to prioritize the needs of the poor, especially in public health facilities since these patients have nowhere else to turn to but to seek the help of their government. I also appeal to all hospital staff to be patient and compassionate in guiding Filipinos, particularly the poor, so that they can properly have access to the services offered by our public hospitals and from the medical assistance programs available in any of our 158 Malasakit Centers nationwide.
That is why as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and as the principal author and sponsor of the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, I make time to personally check on the operations of our Malasakit Centers across the country, in addition to attending the groundbreaking of Super Health Centers and leading our usual relief distributions for Filipinos in need.
On 16 June, I conducted a monitoring visit to two Malasakit Centers in Leyte, where I was honored to be declared as an adopted son of the province through Resolution 2020-337 passed on 24 April 2020 and formally granted on 16 June by the provincial government.
During the visit, I recognized the efforts of Governor Carlos Jericho “Icot” Petilla, Baybay City Mayor Jose Carlos “Boying” Cari and Vice Mayor Ernesto Butawan, Vice Governor Sandy Javier, Cong. Carl Cari, Cong. Karen Javier, Board Member Carlo Loreto, and other officials for their commitment to bringing government services closer to their constituents.
I also visited the Malasakit Center at Baybay City Immaculate Conception Hospital where we assisted 30 out-patients, 140 in-patients, and 192 front liners, while the DSWD extended financial aid to qualified in-patients. We likewise inspected the Super Health Center and the new boardwalk in the city which I supported to help the community.
I then checked on the operations of the Malasakit Center at Ormoc District Hospital in Ormoc City. We also assisted 283 patients and 211 front liners in the hospital, while 133 qualified inpatients received additional assistance from the DSWD.
Following this, I led a relief operation for 1,065 struggling residents in the city and attended the ribbon-cutting of the newly constructed pentathlon facility with a dedicated fencing hall, among others — a project I supported as Vice Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance and as Chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, together with the local government led by Cong. Richard Gomez and Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez.
Earlier that week, I was in Davao del Norte to participate in the celebration of the first anniversary of an insurgency-free Davao del Norte led by Gov. Edwin Jubahib, held in Tagum City on 13 June.
I also personally spearheaded a relief operation for 1,500 struggling residents in the city. Simultaneously, we provided more support to the community in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment which held an orientation for temporary employment to 721 individuals.
Following this, I visited the town of Carmen with Mayor Leony Bahague to witness the groundbreaking of its Super Health Center and provide aid to 1,666 more indigents.
On 15 June, I was in Quezon City with my team to witness the inauguration of two multipurpose buildings in Barangays Commonwealth and Payatas which I also supported for funding together with Councilor Mikey Belmonte. We likewise aided a thousand indigents in the city with Mayor Joy Belmonte.
We then headed to Marikina City to assist 3,000 more struggling residents from Marikina City and the towns of San Mateo and Rodriguez, Rizal, together with Congresswoman Maan Teodoro and Mayor Marcy Teodoro; as well as the local officials from both towns in Rizal, such as Rodriguez Mayor Ronnie Evangelista and San Mateo Mayor Bartolome “Omie” Rivera Jr., among others.
We also visited North Cotabato on 17 June, where we celebrated the 54th Araw ng Alamada led by Mayor Jesus Sacdalan and Cong. Joel Sacdalan and helped 840 farmers and 1,500 struggling residents in the town before going to Matalam to witness aspiring athletes in the Serbisyong Totoo Basketball Sports Clinic and to lead another distribution activity for 1,318 more residents from various sectors together with Gov. Lala Taliño-Mendoza.
Across the country, my team aided indigent families and various sectors, including 136 in Samal, 33 in Balanga, and 82 in Limay, Bataan; 990 in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur; 150 in Damulog, Bukidnon; 350 in Iligan City; 100 in Tubod, Lanao del Norte; 550 in Malinao and Sto. Domingo, Albay; and two fire-hit households in Carcar City, Cebu.
My team also attended the groundbreaking of the Super Health Center in Tiguma, Pagadian City.
It is the fundamental right of every Filipino to receive proper medical care and social assistance from our government.
I hope that with compassion for our struggling kababayans and the persistence to help uplift their lives, we can collectively ensure that the poor and most needy are not neglected as we continue our pursuit for progress and development.