Senator Christopher “Bong” Go’s outreach team, together with Mayor Inday Labindao, conducted a relief operation at the municipal gym in Buruanga, Aklan on Friday, November 10.
Go directed his team to distribute snacks to 440 beneficiaries, while select recipients received shirts and balls for basketball and volleyball. Meanwhile, financial assistance from the national government was also given to qualified residents.
Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, appealed to the public to make their health a top priority, and encouraged them to utilize the services of the Malasakit Center situated within the Dr. Rafael S. Tumbokon Memorial Hospital in Kalibo for medical assistance.
Go previously helped launch the Malasakit Centers program in 2018 with the inaugural center opening in Cebu City. It was later institutionalized under Republic Act 11463, which was principally authored and sponsored by Go after he was elected Senator in 2019.
The Department of Health (DOH) reported that these Malasakit Centers, numbering 159 in total, have assisted over seven million indigent Filipinos and counting.
Go also highlighted the establishment of Super Health Centers in Aklan particularly in Boracay, Ibajay, Kalibo, Banga, Batan, Malay, Nabas, New Washington, Numancia, and Balete. He emphasized the critical role that Super Health Centers play in decongesting hospitals, facilitating early disease detection, and providing essential healthcare services such as primary care and medical consultations directly to the community.
Services offered in Super Health Centers include database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray and ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit. Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service, oncology centers, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers and telemedicine, where remote diagnosis and treatment of patients will be done.
“Nalulungkot po ako tuwing naririnig ko na ayaw magpaospital dahil sa kahirapan. Huwag po kayong matakot sa ospital. Tutulungan ho namin kayo. Alam n’yo isang beses lang tayo dadaan sa mundong ito. Pangalagaan po natin ang kalusugan natin,” encouraged Go.
He also highlighted the establishment of Regional Specialty Centers through RA 11959, which was recently signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. Go is a principal sponsor and one of the authors in the Senate of the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which mandates the establishment of regional specialty centers within existing DOH regional hospitals.
Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, has backed several projects aimed at enhancing public service delivery in the province. Among these projects are the construction of local roads in Makato, the installation of streetlights in Tangalan, the construction of an evacuation center in Numancia and a two-story building for the Ibajay District Hospital, and the renovation of the Ibajay Municipal Park.
He also supported the building of roads in Balete and Makato, riverbank protection structures along the Tigayon-Kalibo and Minalezo sections of the Kalibo River, and a multi-purpose building for monitoring emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases and another multi-purpose building in Balete. He further backed the refurbishment of the Altavas and Libacao public parks.
“Mga kababayan ko, tandaan n’yo po, mahal na mahal ko po kayo. Minsan lang tayo dadaan sa mundong ito, kung anuman pong kabutihan o tulong na pwede natin gawin sa ating kapwa ay gawin na po natin ngayon dahil hindi na tayo babalik sa mundong ito,” he said.
“Ako ay patuloy na magseserbisyo sa inyong lahat dahil ako po ay naniniwala na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo po ‘yan sa Diyos,” concluded Go.
