PASAY CITY -- More struggling communities continue to benefit from Senator Christopher “Bong” Go’s convergence efforts as his team distributed assistance in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya on Thursday, December 2, to a total of 823 indigent residents.
In a video message, Go reminded the beneficiaries to make health their top priority especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go emphasized the need for convenient access to medical assistance programs for the particularly poor and indigent patients.
Thus, he advised the residents to visit the Malasakit Center at the Region II Trauma and Medical Center in Bayombong if they need help to settle their hospital bills. Since the establishment of the first Malasakit Center in 2018, the Malasakit Centers program has assisted over three million Filipinos with 149 operational centers nationwide.
“Zero balance po ang target ng Malasakit Center. Para po sa mga poor and indigent patients ang Malasakit Center, para po ‘yan sa Pilipino. Lapitan n’yo lang po ang Malasakit Center, handang tumulong po ‘yan sa ating mga kapwa Pilipino,” said Go.
“Kung mayro’n ho kayong mga pasyente sa (Philippine) Heart Center, sa NKTI, sa Maynila, magsabi lang po kayo. Nandirito lang po kami ni Pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte na handang tumulong po sa inyo,” he added.
Conducted in Barangay La Torre South, the distribution activity was compliant with the health and safety protocols against COVID-19. Go’s team grouped the beneficiaries into small batches before they handed out meals and masks. They also gave away computer tablets to select recipients and provided new pairs of shoes and bicycles to others.
Personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, on the other hand, extended separate financial assistance to help the residents sustain their daily needs. The Department of Labor and Employment also distributed assistance under its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) Program.
Go then urged everyone to continue supporting the government's initiatives to overcome the pandemic.
“Kailangan po ang tulong, kailangan po ang kooperasyon, kailangan po ang disiplina ng bawat isa. Huwag maging kumpiyansa. Pakiusap po namin ni Pangulong Duterte, kahit bakunado na po kayo huwag pa ring maging kumpiyansa dahil hindi natin masabi, ‘yung hindi pa bakunado ay maaaring mahawa,” Go expressed.
As Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, Go also extended his support to various infrastructure projects in the province such as the construction of a multipurpose building in Bayombong.
Other initiatives include the road improvement in Ambaguio, Dupax del Norte and Kayapa; construction of a multipurpose building in Bambang; construction of a municipal building in Kayapa; construction of an evacuation center in Dupax del Sur; provision of potable water supply in Barangays Baliling and Bacneng in Sta. Fe; and acquisition of a dump truck and a multipurpose vehicle in Quezon town. (OSBG)
