On 24 November, we launched the 153rd Malasakit Center in the country — a continuing commitment to fulfill a promise of better access to healthcare for our people.

Together with former president Rodrigo Duterte, we simply wanted to bring government's medical assistance programs closer to those in need, not just in Davao City but also across the country. This led to the inception of the Malasakit Centers program in 2018 when I was the Special Assistant to the President, and later the institutionalization of the program under the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which I principally authored and sponsored as a senator.

Since then, we have established Malasakit Centers from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi to serve as one-stop shops where patients can conveniently access medical assistance programs from relevant government agencies.

What makes the latest installment of the Malasakit Center even more important for us is that it was opened inside our country's first Overseas Filipino Workers Hospital in San Fernando City, Pampanga, a health facility that we have also long dreamed of for our modern-day heroes which has now become a reality.

The OFW Hospital is a fulfilled promise that serves as a testament to how much we value the sacrifices and contributions of our beloved OFWs. Aside from healthcare services, the facility will carry out research on the prevention, care and treatment of occupational diseases that are common among our OFWs.

Likewise, a dream come true is the creation of our Department of Migrant Workers. I have persistently championed Republic Act 11641 to ensure that our government more efficiently responds to the needs of our migrant workers. Finally, we have a dedicated agency that focuses on the protection, promotion of interests, timely resolution of problems, and effective reintegration of our returning migrant workers.

I feel truly blessed that some of our earliest dreams for our Filipino people have been fulfilled one after another. Looking forward and with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the helm, I am hopeful that more will come true for the benefit of our country, including the creation of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Medical Reserve Corps, and Drug Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation Centers, as well as the enactment of more measures to strengthen our health system.