PASAY CITY -- In recognition of the significant role of farmers in the country’s economic recovery, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go continued his distribution activities in Bohol, this time for 2,296 rice farmers in Talibon on Friday, February 18.

In a video message, Go reassured the farmers that the government continues to promote programs that would boost the agriculture sector of the country.

The senator then urged the beneficiaries to remain vigilant and continue supporting the government’s pandemic efforts, saying, “Mga kababayan, hangga’t nandiyan pa ang COVID-19 ay delikado pa rin ang panahon. Binabalanse ng gobyerno ang lahat ng bagay pero pinakaimportante pa rin ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan.”

“Kaya mag-ingat kayo palagi dahil hindi na natin kakayanin na magsasara na naman ang mga negosyo at tumaas ang bilang ng mga kaso. Mapupuno na naman ang mga ospital at baka bumagsak ang ating healthcare system. Iyan ang iniiwasan natin kaya pakiusap, ‘wag kayong makumpiyansa habang nagpapabakuna pa tayo,” he continued.

Go’s team distributed meals and masks to the rice farmers at the Barangay San Francisco Gymnasium. They also provided computer tablets and shoes to select individuals.

Representatives from several government agencies also extended assistance as part of the ongoing efforts to support the vulnerable sectors amid the global health crisis.

The Department of Agriculture, through its Rice Farmer Financial Assistance, provided financial assistance. The Department of Trade and Industry and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, meanwhile, conducted on-site assessments for potential beneficiaries of their respective assistance programs.

As Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go encouraged those with health concerns to seek assistance from any of the two Malasakit Centers in the province located at Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital in Tagbilaran City and Don Emilio Del Valle Memorial Hospital in Ubay.

A brainchild of Go, the Malasakit Centers Program was initiated in 2018 and was designed for particularly poor and indigent patients to conveniently avail of medical assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

The senator then thanked the local officials for their determination and leadership during these challenging times and further appealed for them to continue serving their constituents to help them recover faster from the pandemic.

“Mga kababayan ko, kami po ni Pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte ay narito lang po na handang magserbisyo po sa inyong lahat sa abot ng aming makakaya. Magtulungan lang po tayo, magmalasakit at magbayanihan po tayo upang malampasan natin ito bilang nagkakaisang mamamayang Pilipino,” he ended.

To further improve public service delivery and boost infrastructure development in the province, Go, as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, has also supported the acquisition and installation of solar-powered street lights in Getafe, construction of a multipurpose building and the concretion of farm-to-market roads in Buenavista, improvement of a public market and acquisition of a multipurpose vehicle and a dump truck for the local government of Clarin, and the construction of the municipal slaughterhouse in Inabanga.

Other projects include the construction of multipurpose buildings in Dauis, Loay, Alicia, Anda, Balilihan, Batuan, Danao, Dimiao, Duero, Garcia-Hernandez, Guindulman, Loon, Valencia and Tagbilaran City; and the improvement of evacuation centers in Panglao, Anda, Balilihan, Carmen, Corella, Garcia-Hernandez and Valencia.

From February 14 to 17, the senator’s team mounted similar relief operations for rice farmers in Carmen, Bien Unido and Trinidad. (OSBG)