Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate Sports and Health committees, on Thursday, October 7 personally witnessed the inauguration of the Wellness Entertainment Sports or WES Arena in Valenzuela City which he believes would serve as a catalyst for the further development of the city and its constituents.
In his speech, Go, a vice presidential candidate, expressed confidence that the arena would enable the city government’s vaccination program to expand at an even quicker rate and reminded officials to continue prioritizing getting their constituents vaccinated ahead of the campaign season.
“May pakiusap lang po ako sa lahat, wala pa naman pong kampanya. Medyo mainit lang ‘yung usapan sa pulitika dahil nag-aantayan. Isa lang po ang pakiusap ko sa mga kababayan ko, sa mga kandidato, puwede ba mamaya na lang natin pag-usapan 'yung pulitika (I am appealing to everybody, to my countrymen, to the candidates, campaign period is yet to come, let us not talk about politics for now). Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng papuri pero mas kailangan po ng taumbayan ngayon na magtrabaho muna tayo (Thank you for the praises, but, what the people need for now is for us to work)” Go emphasized.
“Ulitin ko po, bakuna muna bago ang pulitika. ‘Yun po ang kailangan natin sa ngayon (Let me reiterate, vaccine first before politics, ‘That is what we need for now),” he added.
An initiative of Deputy Speaker and 1st District Representative Weslie Gatchalian, the 1.2-hectare facility is the first multi-sports arena in Valenzuela and will feature basketball courts, a volleyball court, and a badminton area, among others. The arena will continue to be used as a vaccination site until the conclusion of the COVID-19 vaccination program.
“Ang ganda ng takbo ng vaccinations sa Metro Manila at nako-contain na ang mga kaso ngayon. Sana tuluy-tuloy ang ginagawa ninyo dito at nakakatuwa na mayroon tayong mga napakagaling na timon (The vaccination in Metro Manila is doing good and it has already contained the cases for now. I hope that you are also doing fine here, I am glad that we have good leaders),” he continued.
The senator from Davao expressed optimism that the city government would be able to expand the vaccination program to the general population.
He explained that vaccines are key to achieving lasting protection against the virus leading towards herd immunity and return to normalcy.
The national government has currently administered a total of 48.4 million doses of vaccines with a daily average of 463,320 doses in the last seven days, as of October 6. A total of 22.7 million Filipinos are fully vaccinated while another 25.7 million have received their first shots.
To avoid further risks of getting and spreading the virus, Go also reminded the public to observe proper use of masks, physical distancing and other health protocols.
He assured that the government is doing everything it can to procure a sufficient supply of vaccines at the soonest possible time while ensuring patients continue to receive the care that they need.
In line with government’s efforts to improve access to health care, Go announced the official launch of the country’s 142nd and the city’s second Malasakit Center which he also personally attended later in the day at the Valenzuela Medical Center.
The Malasakit Center at the Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital previously opened its own in August 2019.
Malasakit Centers are one-stop shops pioneered by Go that host the government agencies with programs that provide medical assistance to patients, particularly the poor and indigent.
The agencies include the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
The program was institutionalized under Republic Act (RA) 11463, also known as the Malasakit Centers Act, which President Duterte signed in 2019.
The Act, which Go authored and sponsored in the Senate, aims to help reduce a hospital bill to the lowest possible amount by covering various patient services and expenses.
Representative Gatchalian filed the counterpart bill in the lower house.
The ceremony in Valenzuela city was also attended by Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Representative Wes Gatchalian, Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian, Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd, Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque Jr., Vaccine Czar and National Task Force Against Covid-19 Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez., Jr., Deputy Chief Implementer and Testing Czar Secretary Vivencio Dizon, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr., and former Public Works and Highways secretary Mark Villar, among others.