Next to sessions and hearings in the Senate, my first priority has been visiting the victims of disasters all over the country.

His constant interaction with ordinary people, particularly victims of natural or man-made disasters, played a huge factor in Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go’s push for high-impact legislations, one of them is already a law — his brainchild Malasakit Center.

Go acknowledged that seeing firsthand the sufferings of Filipinos brought about by devastating disasters allowed him to pursue an advocacy of delivering timely and much-needed services to the people.

“Next to sessions and hearings in the Senate, my first priority has been visiting the victims of disasters all over the country to provide financial aid and relief assistance,” vowed Go. (See column on page A5.)

With his exposure on the real situation of poor Filipinos, Go is not about to slow down in 2020 particularly after the passage of the Malasakit Center Act.

In fact, he already filed three more measures of national interest — the proposed National Building Act, additional commissioners at the National Labor Relations Commission and the creation of a new division at the Court of Appeals (CA).

In proposing the National Building Act which seeks to repeal the National Building Code, Go cited his personal visits to victims of fire, flooding and earthquake as his motivation.

“I consider the bill a personal crusade because, in 2019 alone, I’ve seen firsthand dozens of times the devastating effects of disasters, not only to properties but to the emotional and mental condition of the affected families,” Go said.

He stressed that the “heartbreak” could have been mitigated, if not prevented, if there are stricter building regulations.

The senator has also filed Senate Bill (SB) 205 or the “Department of Disaster Resilience Act of 2019” which proposes the creation of a Department of Disaster Resilience, “an empowered, highly specialized department with clear unity of command and primarily responsible in ensuring safe, adaptive and disaster-resilient communities.”

In his visit to victims of typhoon “Ursula” in Balasan, Iloilo on Saturday, Go prodded all local officials to ensure the delivery of all aid and assistance from the national government intended for the people.

The senator initially provided relief and financial assistance to 213 families at the Balasan Gym. He vowed readiness to bring those who needed special medical attention to Manila, if necessary.

On the other hand, Go’s proposed additional CA division and increase number of justices is aimed at addressing the backlog of court cases.

He particularly cited the recent decision handed down by a Quezon City regional trial court (RTC) on the 23 November 2009 Ampatuan massacre of 58 individuals, including 32 media practitioners, in Maguindanao.

“We’ve seen how slow the justice system of our country is in the case of the Maguindanao massacre. The RTC assigned to the case was only able to issue a verdict less than two weeks ago, ten years after the gruesome crime happened and we don’t know how many years more it would take for the final verdict to be issued if the case reaches the Court of Appeals and then the Supreme Court,” Go lamented.

The passage of Republic Act (RA) 11463 earlier this month institutionalized Go’s brainchild — the Malasakit Center which is a one-stop shop where indigent patients can efficiently access financial medical assistance from agencies such as Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

So far, a total of 56 Malasakit Centers were established in public hospitals nationwide. The number is expected to increase following the passage of RA 11463 into law.

“At the rate we are going, it’s certain that in 2020, many more ailing Filipinos will be able to conveniently seek financial assistance from the one-stop shops,” he said.

Meanwhile, Go on Sunday took 157 children from five quake-affected municipalities in Davao del Sur to a free tour of Davao City to help them recover from their traumatic experience.

The children, who came from the towns of Padada, Sulop, Hagonoy, Magsaysay and Matanao, spent the morning at the Davao Crocodile Park, where they viewed the animals there and watched a bird show. Then they met Go while having lunch at Gaisano Mall of Davao.

Go prodded the children to study hard to pay back their parents for their hardships in sustaining their education.

The senator vowed to closely monitor the rehabilitation of damaged school buildings in Davao del Sur to ensure the children’s return to the learning facilities.

After having lunch, the kids watched a movie at Gaisano Mall and went to SM Lanang Premier mall to buy toys.