With the 19th Congress set to begin on July 25, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go has filed another 10 of his priority bills to provide more people-centered and service-oriented legislation that will help achieve the new administration’s goal of a stronger, more adaptable and resilient nation.
“Ipinangako ko po sa ating mga kababayan na patuloy kong isusulong at ipaglalaban ang mga batas na para sa ikakaginhawa ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino (I have promised to our countrymen that I will continue to push and fight for legislations that will provide a comfortable life for every Filipino). Yan po ang adhikain ni dating pangulong Rodrigo Duterte at ipinagpapatuloy ngayon ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, kaya naman talagang gagawin ko ang lahat ng aking makakaya upang makatulong na marating ang pangarap ng bawat Pilipino (That is the vision of former President Rodrigo Duterte and being pursued by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, and I will also do everything within my capability to help achieve the dream of every Filipino),” reaffirmed Go.
Among the Davao lawmaker’s filed bills include the institutionalization of a “Rural Employment Assistance Program” that shall provide job opportunities or temporary employment to displaced workers in far-flung areas.
He also filed an “Emergency Medical Services System Bill” that mandates the creation of an Emergency Medical Services Systems Council, which will be tasked to develop national standards for the provision of emergency medical services in local government units.
There shall also be emergency personnel, vehicles and dispatch centers in all local government units (LGUs). In addition, the bill mandates the adoption of a nationwide emergency hotline that Filipinos can access free of charge.
As he acknowledges the sacrifices and hard work of uniformed personnel to protect the country, Go also reintroduced “Free Legal Assistance to AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) and PNP (Philippine National Police) Enlisted Personnel Bill”, which will provide free legal assistance to any officer or enlisted personnel of the AFP and the PNP who may incur charges from an incident related to the performance of their official duty.
He also filed the “Magna Carta of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Officers and Personnel”, which aims to provide PDEA employees with decent standard of living by providing them acceptable living and working conditions, appropriate compensation and career opportunities to enable them to effectively carry out their mandate.
Go, who heads the Senate Health and Sports Committees, likewise, pushed for the “Philippine National Games (PNG) Bill”.
Not to be confused with Palarong Pambansa, the PNG is a national multi-sport tournament that aims to widen the base talent identification and efficiently constitute the national pool to be trained for international sports competition.
“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Sports, I am one with President Marcos Jr. in highlighting the importance of sports in nation-building. I reiterate my firm commitment to always look after the welfare of our athletes and to push for long-term and grassroots sports development,” Go previously cited.
“These will both help our country become again as one of the sports powerhouses in Asia and also encourage our young people to stay away from illegal drugs and criminality by getting into sports,” he added.
Meanwhile, Go also filed a bill institutionalizing the “One Town One Product Program” which seeks to strengthen and boost the capacity of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by assisting them in areas of quality, product development, design, packaging, standards compliance, marketability, production capability, brand development, sustainability, and securing licenses, product registration and other market authorization, among others.
Furthermore, Go filed a bill amending the Insurance Code. Through his proposed measure, doubts on whether the Insurance Code will apply to health maintenance organizations (HMOs) will be clarified.
It will make HMOs subject to Insurance Code provisions that are not explicitly provided under Executive Order (EO) 192. This will allow for stricter supervision over HMOs and thus, provide more protection to the public.
To further help informal settlers and to mitigate poverty, Go also refiled a measure establishing the “National Housing Development Production and Financing Program”.
The bill seeks to increase housing production to address the needs of poor Filipino families by forging partnerships among housing stakeholders.
The senator likewise filed “Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) Compensation and Incentives Bill” that will efficiently determine the number of BHWs needed in every barangay and provide all BHWs with proper compensation and incentives.
Finally, continuing former president Duterte’s fight against illegal drugs, Go has once again pushed for the creation of “Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Center”, which shall establish accessible drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation centers nationwide in order to sustain the government’s efforts in achieving a drug-free society.
Go reiterated his commitment to ensure the better delivery of public services to the Filipino people while helping the Marcos zdministration attain what needs to be achieved in order to guarantee the country’s progress and development.
Earlier, Go had also filed his top 10 bills which include the establishment of the Department of Disaster Resilience, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Virology Science and Technology Institute of the Philippines, and Mandatory Evacuation Centers in every LGUs.
The top 10 measures also include bills providing for Annual Medical Check Up for every Filipino, Comprehensive Dialysis Benefit Package for PhilHealth members, Advanced Nursing Education, Rental Housing Subsidy, E-governance, and Magna Carta for Barangay.