PASAY CITY -- On Wednesday, August 11, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go's office distributed assistance to 180 affected citizens of San Pablo, Zamboanga del Sur.

In his message to the recipients, Go urged anyone, particularly poor and indigent patients suffering from medical ailments, to seek help from Malasakit Center in their province or from any of the 134 such centers around the country.

“Mga kababayan, kung mayroon po kayong mga pasyente, magsabi lang kayo dahil mayro’n tayong 134 na Malasakit Center sa buong Pilipinas. Malasakit Center ay batas na ‘yan na aking isinulong noon na pinirmahan ni Presidente Duterte, one-stop shop ‘yan,” said Go.

“Zero balance ang target ng Malasakit Center. Ang Malasakit Center, mayroon na sa loob ng ospital ang PhilHealth, DOH, PCSO at DSWD. Lapitan ninyo lang ‘yang Malasakit Center para talaga ‘yan sa poor and indigent patients, handang tumulong po sa inyong lahat,” he added.

The Malasakit Centers in Zamboanga del Sur are located at the Zamboanga del Sur Medical Center in Pagadian City and Margosatubig Regional Hospital in Margosatubig town. These are one-stop shops where Filipinos can conveniently access medical assistance from concerned government agencies, such as Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

There are now 134 Malasakit Centers in the country since the program was initiated by Go in February 2018, with the latest opened on August 6 at the Talavera General Hospital in Nueva Ecija. It is now institutionalized through the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019 which Go authored and sponsored in the Senate, then eventually signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte in December 2019.

The Senator also urged those who are eligible to be vaccinated, particularly economic frontliners and indigents, not to be afraid of the COVID-19 vaccines and to get inoculated as soon as possible to protect themselves from the virus and assist the community in achieving herd immunity more quickly.

The distribution of assistance was held at the Tandubuay Gym in San Pablo where the beneficiaries received meals, masks, face shields, and vitamins. The distribution was done in small batches to ensure that all of the appropriate health and safety measures were followed.

Selected recipients were also given new pairs of shoes or bicycles to utilize for a more convenient commute. Other recipients received computer tablets which would allow their children to more quickly access educational materials and participate more actively in distance learning.

To further help the workers, representatives from the DSWD granted each beneficiary with financial assistance through its Sustainable Livelihood Program.

“Nagpapasalamat po ako kay Senator Bong Go para sa natanggap kong sapatos. Maraming salamat po,” said Concepcion Darunday, one of the beneficiaries during the event.

To boost regional development and economic growth, Go, as Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, also supported the funding of various infrastructure in San Pablo, such as the construction of a two-storey public market.

He also supported initiatives throughout the province of Zamboanga del Sur, such as various road improvements; rehabilitation of flood control facilities along Lanao - Pagadian - Zamboanga City Road; construction of Multi-Purpose Buildings in Aurora, Dimataling, Dinas, Kumalarang, and Pagadian City; concreting of farm-to-market roads in Dimataling, Dinas, Dumalinao, and Midsalip; installation of highway and street lights in Guipos; improvement of infrastructure and provision of medical equipment to Margosatubig Regional Hospital; and the acquisition of one ambulance unit for the city of Pagadian.

Go then lauded the local government officials for spearheading the pandemic efforts in their communities. Among the officials were Representatives Divina Grace Yu and Jun Babasa, Governor Victor Yu, Mayor Danilo Taucan, Vice Mayor Roberto Aguilar and other local officials.

“Mga kababayan ko, ingat po kayo at magdasal tayo parati. Minsan lang po tayo dadaan sa mundong ito. Kung ano pong kabutihan o tulong na puwede nating gawin sa ating kapwa Pilipino, sa ating kapwa tao, gawin na po natin ngayon dahil hindi na po tayo babalik sa mundong ito,” said Go.

“Kami po ni Pangulong Duterte ay patuloy hong magserserbisyo sa inyong lahat. Dahil para sa amin po ang serbisyo po sa tao, serbisyo po ‘yan sa Diyos,” he ended.

Go's team earlier traveled to Molave in Zamboanga del Sur on July 21 to deliver aid to 1,500 economic frontliners afflicted by the ongoing pandemic. (OSBG)