For many Filipinos, accessing healthcare is not as simple as they wish it could be. It often means securing an appointment with a doctor, spending money for medicines, and waiting in crowded public hospitals. For families already struggling to make ends meet, these barriers can determine whether they receive medical care or live without it.

This is why President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has consistently emphasized the need to bring government services closer to the people and make essential services more accessible where they are needed most.

Guided by this vision, First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos launched LAB for All, or Laboratoryo, Konsulta, at Gamot para sa Lahat. As her flagship health outreach program, LAB for All delivers free laboratory tests, medical consultations, medicines, and other forms of assistance to communities across the country. As the First Lady has said, “the government must bring healthcare to the people. We need to make it easier for them because a healthy community is a productive community.”

What sets LAB for All apart is that it goes beyond the traditional medical mission. It embodies a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, bringing together national agencies, local government units, and private-sector partners under a shared commitment to serve. In a single venue, families can access healthcare, social services, livelihood support, and opportunities that help improve their quality of life.

We, in San Juan, experienced our own LAB for All in August 2025 at the FilOil Centre, wherein more than 1,500 San Juaneños received various government, healthcare, and social services in a single day. Beyond the numbers, what mattered most was that our residents were able to gain access to much-needed assistance without having to leave our city.

As the Metro Manila Council President and the League of Cities of the Philippines National President, we are working to ensure that our local government units serve as strong partners in expanding the reach of LAB for All. My support for this initiative comes from personally witnessing the positive impact it has on communities across the country, particularly in our member cities.

I have had the opportunity to join the First Lady’s LAB for All activities in Subic in the Province of Zambales, Marikina City, the PNP National Headquarters in Quezon City, and Cagayan de Oro City. I am also set to participate in the upcoming LAB for All visits in Makati City and Butuan City. In every location, I have seen how this very laudable one-stop shop program successfully brings together national government agencies, local government units, private institutions, and civic organizations to deliver services directly to the people.

Through the program, beneficiaries gain access to healthcare, social welfare, livelihood assistance, legal services, housing programs, and other forms of support from agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, Public Attorney's Office, National Housing Authority, Land Transportation Office, Food and Drug Administration, Development Bank of the Philippines, Commission on Higher Education, along with private companies and non-government organizations.

This is why I give my full support to LAB for All. I see its value not only in the number of beneficiaries served but also in the way it strengthens the connection between the government and our communities. In San Juan, we share the same vision through our Makabagong San Juan Barangay Caravan, which similarly aims to bring government services closer to our constituents. Both initiatives are rooted in the belief that public service is most effective when it is brought closer to the people and responds directly to their needs.

Effective and inclusive governance is not measured by the number of programs launched or policies written. It is measured by whether ordinary Filipinos can feel the presence of the government in their daily lives. Whether in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao, LAB for All has demonstrated what is possible when institutions work together for the people. Distance should never prevent Filipinos from receiving the public service they deserve.

For this reason, we remain grateful to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta Marcos for their commitment to a Bagong Pilipinas that brings essential services directly to our citizens.

Wherever the next LAB for All takes us, we will be there to serve.