PASAY CITY -- A day after the distribution activities conducted in the towns of Alang-Alang and Tolosa, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go sent his outreach team to continue their relief efforts for 997 public transport workers in Dulag, Leyte on Tuesday, August 10.
As the Senator expressed his concern over the alarming rates of COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant, Go appealed to the beneficiaries, through his video message, to stay vigilant and compliant with health protocols to curb the spread of the virus.
Go also reassured that the government continues to acquire safe and sufficient vaccines for Filipinos. He then asked the local government of Dulag to come up with effective ways to encourage residents who are still hesitant to get inoculated as this is the country’s key to returning to normalcy.
“Mga kababayan ko, unti-unti na pong dumarating ang mga bakuna, pinaghirapan po natin itong mga bakunang ito. 'Pag nasa priority list na ho kayo - frontliners, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, economic frontliners, mga delivery boys, indigents, kung nasa priority list na ho kayo, magpabakuna na ho kayo para po protektado ho kayo,” said Go.
“Ang bakuna po ang susi o solusyon para unti-unti na tayong makabalik sa ating normal na pamumuhay. Magtiwala lang ho kayo sa gobyerno, mga kababayan ko,” he added.
Go’s team ensured an organized distribution at the Municipal Plaza in Dulag as they implemented necessary safety and health protocols and split the beneficiaries into smaller batches to safeguard them from the threat of COVID-19.
The transport workers then received meals, masks, face shields, and vitamins from Senator Go. Some also brought home new pairs of shoes and bicycles. Likewise, Go provided computer tablets to selected beneficiaries to help their children pursue their education despite the restrictions.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development also granted the recipients with financial assistance to further help them sustain their daily needs.
Lastly, qualified individuals were then evaluated by the Department of Trade and Industry and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for their respective livelihood and scholarship programs.
As Chair of Senate Committee on Health, Go offered additional assistance to beneficiaries with health concerns as he encouraged them to visit any of the four Malasakit Centers available in the province.
First established in 2018, these Malasakit Centers are tasked to assist Filipinos, particularly poor and indigent patients, reduce their medical expenses to the lowest amount possible through the help of agencies with existing medical assistance programs.
The Malasakit Centers in Leyte are located at the Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center in Tacloban City; the Leyte Provincial Hospital and Schistosomiasis Control and Research Hospital in Palo; and the Ormoc District Hospital in Ormoc City.
In addition, Go successfully sponsored the passage of two measures to improve health services in Leyte: one to increase the EVRMC's bed capacity and another to convert the SCRH into the Governor Benjamin T. Romualdez General Hospital.
