With the Malasakit Center Act in place to complement the Universal Health Care Law, we are a step closer towards making quality health care more accessible and affordable.

The Senate had cited for a productive session of the 18th Congress two bills authored and backed by Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go based on chamber head Tito Sotto III’s 2009 accomplishment report.

Lauding neophyte senators, including Go, for their “fresh and dynamic ideas”, Sotto expressed optimism that the coming year will be marked by higher achievements.

In his speech, Sotto said bills passed by the 18th Congress and enacted into law by President Rodrigo Duterte including the postponement of Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections and the Malasakit Center Act of 2019 were important items in the legislative agenda of Go and were also his two key platforms during the campaign period.

The bills that the Senator filed in July also served as bases for the two laws.

In an effort to complement the Universal Health Care Law, Republic Act 11463, otherwise known as the Malasakit Center Act of 2019, provides for the establishment of Malasakit Centers in 73 hospitals that are run by the Department of Health (DoH) all over the country and in the Philippine General Hospital in Manila.

“With the Malasakit Center Act in place to complement the Universal Health Care Law, we are a step closer towards making quality health care more accessible and affordable for all Filipinos, especially the indigent and poor patients in need of medical assistance from the government,” Go said.

The center consolidates the medical and financial assistance that patients may apply for from four government agencies, namely the DoH, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Department of Social Welfare and Development and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

Meanwhile, Republic Act 11462 moved the next barangay and SK elections from the second Monday of May 2020 to 5 December 2022 and then on the first Monday of December 2025 and every three years thereafter. The law extended the terms of the current barangay and SK officials from two years to four years and a half.

Go said that village officials should be given enough time to implement their programs.

“The barangays are in the frontline of providing government services and in the campaign against narcotics and criminality. So it is only proper that we provide them with the opportunity and enough time to implement their programs and projects,” Go explained.

Meanwhile, Sotto also cited three crucial bills that were already approved by the Senate on third and final reading. These are the bill increasing the excise tax on alcohol, heated tobacco and vapor products, the Go-backed Separate Facilities for Heinous Crimes Act and the Salary Standardization Law 5 which Go also co-authored.

“We had a great start, which can be attributed to the efforts of all the senators. This is just the beginning of our commitment to the people we serve. We are looking forward to a more fruitful 2020 as we intend to perform better for our beloved Filipino families,” Sotto concluded.

As part of Senator Go’s legislative agenda aimed at helping the Duterte administration achieve positive genuine change felt by all Filipinos, he likewise filed 21 Senate resolutions and authored thirty bills in his first 6 months as senator, two of which have already been signed into law and four committee reports he sponsored or co-sponsored in the Senate plenary.

“I prioritized the welfare of the smallest Filipinos. All of my efforts are directed towards the sick, the ordinary workers, the calamity victims and the youth who are the hope of the nation. This is the service that I have advocated averywhere that I go,” he said.