PASAY CITY -- In his video message during a two-day relief effort conducted for 4,000 low-income residents in Davao City last November 18 and 19, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go appealed to the local governments to continue helping the national government in its vaccination campaign. He reassured that he will continue to push for ways to raise vaccine awareness in more remote areas.
Go, the Chair of Senate Committee on Health and Demography, had earlier asked the government to look into the possibility of providing cash incentives to fully vaccinated members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as he believes that this would significantly help the country achieve population protection leading to herd immunity soon.
"Sa paraang ito, hindi lang natin maeengganyo silang magpabakuna, mabibigyan pa natin sila ng dagdag na tulong. Bagama’t wala itong pilitan, dapat din wala tayong tigil sa paghikayat sa kanila dahil ang bakuna ang tanging susi patungo sa pagbalik sa normal nating pamumuhay," Go explained.
“Kasi kung mas marami nang bakunado at patuloy na bababa ang bilang ng nahahawa, maaari na nating luwagan ang mga patakaran para pwede na kumain at pumasyal sa labas, makatrabaho at makagalaw nang wala masyadong restrictions,” he continued in his appeal.
Senator Go’s staff distributed snacks and masks to the beneficiaries at the respective covered courts of Barangays Bantol, Malamba, Suawan, Tamugan, Salaysay, Magsaysay, Lumot and Gumitan.
The team also gave bicycles to some residents, as well as computer tablets for children’s use in their classes.
Meanwhile, staff from the Department of Social Welfare and Development also provided the residents with financial assistance. The Department of Trade and Industry and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, in turn, assessed potential beneficiaries for their respective assistance programs.
Go likewise offered additional aid to the residents and encouraged them to take advantage of the government’s medical assistance programs conveniently accessible through the Malasakit Center at Southern Philippines Medical Center in the city.
Senator Go principally authored and sponsored Republic Act No. 11463, otherwise known as the “Malasakit Centers Act of 2019”, which mandates all hospitals managed and administered by the Department of Health and the Philippine General Hospital to establish their respective Malasakit Centers to help particularly poor and indigent patients access quality healthcare services.
The senator, who also serves as the Vice Chair of Senate Committee on Finance, had also extended his support to various initiatives in the city to help improve its public service delivery.
Among these projects are the construction of multi-purpose buildings in Barangays Ilang, Mintal, Panacan, San Antonio, Tigatto, Waan, Pampanga and Gov. Vicente Duterte; and the construction of drainage systems in Barangays Mintal, Mudiang, Wilfredo Aquino, Ubalde, Buhangin Proper, Centro, Gov. Paciano Bangoy, Bunawan Proper and Kapitan Tomas Monteverde Sr.
Go also supported the acquisition of multi-purpose vehicles and mini dump trucks in Brgys. Callawa, Panacan, Lapu-Lapu and Cabantian; construction of drainage systems in Brgys. Centro, Agdao, Gov. Paciano Bangoy, Bunawan Proper, Tomas Monteverde Sr. Agdao and Mintal; construction of multi-purpose buildings in the SPMC Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and in the City Library Complex; and acquisition of ambulance units and construction of a 300-bed capacity infectious disease building in SPMC.
“Mga kababayan ko, kaunting tiis lang po. Alam ko pong nahirapan kayo. Kami rin po ni Pangulong Duterte ay nahirapan din po. Subalit kayo po ang nagbibigay lakas sa amin na makapagserbisyo pa po sa inyong lahat upang malampasan po natin itong krisis na ating kinakaharap,” he ended. (OSBG)
