Senator Christopher "Bong" Go expressed his confidence that the Marcos Administration will be able to continue former president Rodrigo Duterte's pandemic recovery efforts and appealed to further strengthen government interventions to ensure that no Filipino is left behind in recovery.

In his video message during the relief activity mounted by his team in San Pablo, Isabela last Tuesday, Go once again called on the government to hasten its vaccination efforts in more remote areas nationwide, citing the need for eligible Filipinos to get their complete jabs against Covid-19.

The relief activity was held at the Barkadas Resort where Go's team handed out masks, snacks and shirts to 113 displaced workers. They also gave select individuals shoes, bicycles, cellular phones, and balls for basketball and volleyball.

Representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development then extended livelihood assistance grants to provide the displaced workers an opportunity to open their own small Businesses that will sustain their families' needs.

Go shared that he has filed a measure that seeks to provide temporary employment for qualified members of poor households in rural areas who are willing to do unskilled manual work for a period of time.

"Today, I have filed Senate Bill No. 420, to institutionalize the provisions of Temporary Employment Assistance to Displaced Workers in Rural Communities," Go said.

Rural assistance

Under his proposed measure, there shall be a Rural Employment Assistance Program under the Department of Labor and Employment, which shall provide temporary employment to qualified individuals who are poor, disadvantaged, displaced or seasonal workers.

The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, offered additional assistance to those in need of hospital care. He urged them to visit any of the two Malasakit Centers in the province located at Southern Isabela Medical Center in Santiago City and the Governor Faustino N. Dy, Sr. Memorial Hospital in Ilagan City where they can conveniently avail of medical assistance from the government.

A brainchild of Go, the Malasakit Centers program is designed to help particularly poor and indigent patients reduce their medical expenses to the lowest amount possible.

The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop that brings together concerned government agencies, such as the DSWD, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. There are currently 151 operational centers nationwide.

To help boost economic recovery and improve public service delivery in the province, Go, who is also the Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, supported the construction of new barracks at Camp Melchor F. dela Cruz in Echague; concreting of the local roads in Barangays Dangan and Santor and a bridge in Reina Mercedes; and concreting of the Gud-Villaflor portion of the access road in San Isidro.

The senator also helped secure the funding for concreting, upgrading and rehabilitation of various roads throughout the province; construction of multipurpose buildings in Cauayan, Naguilian, Quezon, San Pablo and Ilagan City; construction of bridges in Benito Soliven, Jones, Mallig, Ramon, San Guillermo, San Mariano and Ilagan City; construction of a river wall and 300 units of street lights in Aurora; and installation of solar street lights in San Manuel.

Last 5 September, the team of Go provided similar relief to residents from Reina Mercedes, Mallig, Delfin Albano, Santa Maria and Cabagan towns.