Senator Christopher ‘’Bong’’ Go has renewed his call for the enactment of his bill that would create the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) to ensure that communities are adaptive, disaster-resilient and safe.
Go’s measure, Senate Bill (SB) 188, seeks to provide a faster and more holistic response to calamities, especially as the country is prone to typhoons and other disasters.
“Once established, we will have a Cabinet secretary-level department whose primary tasks are not limited to extending immediate assistance but also making sure the rapid recovery and rehabilitation of affected communities,” explained Go during an ambush interview after a relief operation in Cebu.
“'Immediate return to normalcy’ will be one of the most important mandates of the established DDR,’’ he said.
Go and his outreach team held a relief activity at Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex where they gave away grocery packs, meals, vitamins, masks, and shirts to 919 typhoon victims.
The senator from Davao, likewise, provided phablets and shoes to select individuals.
In addition, Go remained true to his commitment to eradicate illegal drugs in the country by promoting intensified sports development programs.
As chairman of the Senate Sports Committee, he also handed out bicycles and balls for volleyball and basketball.
In an effort to support their recovery, representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also handed out financial assistance to the typhoon victims.
Go, as chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, offered to assist those with medical concerns. He advised them to seek the services of the Malasakit Center located at Eversley Childs Sanitarium and General Hospital (ECSGH) in the city.
Additionally, Cebuanos can also visit other Malasakit Centers at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) and St. Anthony Mother & Child Hospital in Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital, Talisay District Hospital in Talisay City, and Cebu Provincial Hospital in Carcar City.
Malasakit Centers are designed to be one-stop shops where poor and indigent patients can conveniently apply for medical assistance from concerned agencies, including the DSWD, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
The program was institutionalized in 2019 through the Malasakit Centers Act that Go principally authored and sponsored in the Senate. So far, 152 centers have been established nationwide.
Apart from the Malasakit Centers, Go likewise supported the establishment of nine Super Health Centers in the province of Cebu to make certain that more disadvantaged Cebuanos will be able to access quality yet affordable healthcare services from the government.
The Super Health Centers will be established in the cities of Mandaue, Danao, Lapu-Lapu, and Bogo; and the towns of Borbon, Cordova, Moalboal, Samboan, and San Francisco.