Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, an adopted son of Nueva Ecija, sent his team to provide assistance to indigent families in Gapan City, Nueva Ecija, on Friday, 25 August, in partnership with the offices of Vice Mayor Inocencio Bautista Jr. and councilors Jeffrey Bautista, Nani Yu, Gema Pangilinan, Ryan Tecson, Pete Delos Santos, Jay Mariano, Amy Hernandez, Gerry Matias, and Danilo De Guzman.
Go’s outreach team assisted 140 vulnerable residents who gathered at the auditorium of Gapan City Hall. The team distributed masks, vitamins, and shirts to the residents, as well as shoes, and balls for basketball and volleyball to select recipients.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also extended financial assistance to the residents for their everyday needs.
“Huwag ho kayong magpasalamat sa amin. Sa totoo lang po kami po ang dapat magpasalamat sa inyo dahil binigyan n’yo po kami ng pagkakataon na magserbisyo sa inyo. Magta-trabaho po ako para sa Pilipino. Iyan po ang pwede kong i-alay sa inyo, ang kasipagan ko sa trabaho,” Go said in a video message.
“Utusan n’yo lang po ako, parang kapitbahay lang tayo bilang isang adopted son ng inyong probinsya. Ayaw kong ituring nyo ako na ibang tao,” he added.
Go stressed the significance of extending aid to impoverished individuals, and said the government should prioritize the needs of the poor who were most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises.
As principal author and sponsor of the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, Go vowed to monitor the continuous operations of the Malasakit Centers, which has helped more than seven million Filipinos, according to the Department of Health (DOH). There are 158 Malasakit Centers nationwide so far.
Indigent patients in Nueva Ecija can seek the services of the Malasakit Centers 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.
“Ang Malasakit Center po ay batas na. Isinulong ko noon, nu’ng naging senador po ako nung 2019. Pinirmahan ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte. It’s a one stop shop. Nasa loob na po ng ospital ang apat na ahensya ng gobyerno – PhilHealth, PCSO, DOH, DSWD na handang tumulong po sa ating mga kababayan. Para po ‘yan sa mga poor and indigent patients. Lapitan n’yo lang po ang pinakamalapit na Malasakit Center sa inyong lugar,” Go said.
The senator also highlighted that Super Health Centers (SHCs) will be established in Cabanatuan City, San Leonardo, Aliga, Bongabon, Llanera, Science City of Muñoz, Zaragoza, Sto. Domingo and Rizal — the last two of which he personally inspected in February.
The SHCs are improved versions of polyclinics that offer basic health services, including 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.
Through the concerted efforts of lawmakers, adequate funding has been allocated in the national budget for the establishment of 307 SHCs in 2022 and 322 more in 2023.
Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, has supported several infrastructure projects in the province to help boost the local economy. Among these 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 Dr. PJGMRMC in Cabanatuan City; the reconstruction of the Llanera public market; the rehabilitation of the Baloc public market; and the installation of streetlights in Zaragoza.