Senator Christopher “Bong” Go visited Aurora on Sunday, 19 February, for the province’s anniversary celebration. On the same day, his team joined the blessing and inauguration of the Super Health Center in Dipaculao town while providing aid to indigents.

Go, Chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, lauded the Department of Health and the local government of Dipaculao for putting great efforts into ensuring that the Super Health Center is constructed.

He specifically gave recognition to Senator Sonny Angara who serves as Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and has long been serving the province and its people, Governor Christian Noveras, Vice Governor Gerardo Noveras, Aurora Lone District Representative Rommel Angara, Dipaculao Mayor Danilo Tolentino, and other local officials.

The senator then reaffirmed that he will continue to develop and support initiatives that are designed to strengthen the country’s health sector, especially after the adverse effects of the pandemic.

“Ang akin pong adbokasiya ay health. Karagdagang Super Health Center, mga health facilities, karagdagang kagamitan. ‘Yan po ang aking advocacy, palakasin ang ating healthcare system,” stressed Go.

Super Health Centers are designed to make basic health services, such as database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit, more accessible to Filipino patients.

Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service; oncology centers; physical therapy and rehabilitation center; and telemedicine, where remote diagnosis and treatment of patients will be done.

Through Go’s initiative, some 307 SHCs were funded in 2022. The senator also successfully pushed for the funding of at least 322 more SHCs in this year’s health budget.

“Ang Super Health Center po ay mas maliit lang sa hospital, mas malaki po sa rural health unit. It’s a medium type of polyclinic, nasa loob na ho ‘yung panganganak, birthing facilities, nandiriyan rin po ang laboratory, dental, isolation at iba pang mga emergency cases. Hindi na kailangang itakbo minsan sa malalayong lugar,” cited Go.

“Minsan sa sobrang layo ng hospital, nanganganak na sa kotse o sa tricycle, ‘di ba? Ngayon po, pwede nang dalahin doon sa Super Health Center ninyo. Pwede na pong manganak, mayroon na kayong bagong Super Health Center,” he added.

The senator’s staff led a relief operation at Dinadiawan Sports Complex where they distributed grocery packs, snacks, vitamins, masks, and shirts to at least 269 struggling residents. Furthermore, they gave away cellular phones and watches to select beneficiaries and provided shoes, bicycles, and balls for volleyball and basketball to some as part of the senator’s vision to promote sports activities.

“Ako rin po ang Chair of Sports sa Senado kaya isa sa aking adbokasiya ay ang sports. Get into sports, stay away from drugs. Ilayo natin ang kabataan sa iligal na droga. Pakiusap ko, ‘wag nating sayangin ang inumpisahan ni (dating) pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte na labanan ang ilegal na droga. Kaya engganyuhin natin ang mga kabataan na get into sports, stay away from drugs. Kaya namimigay ako ng bola sa inyo,” he added.

A team from the Department of Social Welfare and Development also provided financial aid through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation program to the qualified beneficiaries on the same day. Through Go’s initiative, other qualified indigent residents will be receiving other forms of assistance in the succeeding days.

Go, likewise, offered additional help to those with health issues. He advised them to seek the services of the Malasakit Center at Aurora Memorial Hospital in Baler, which he personally conducted a monitoring visit earlier that day.

A brainchild of Go, the Malasakit Centers program provides more convenient access to medical assistance programs for particularly poor and indigent patients. The program was later institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11463, which Go principally authored and sponsored in the Senate in 2019.

Celebrating its fifth year of providing assistance to financially incapacitated Filipinos, the Malasakit Centers program has so far assisted more than seven million patients through 154 operational centers across the country.

Go, as Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, likewise supported the construction of Reserva-Ipil Road in Dipaculao.

“Kami naman masaya na po kami na nakatulong, makabigay ng solusyon sa problema ninyo, at makapag-iwan ng kaunting ngiti sa panahon ng inyong pagdadalamhati. Masaya po kami na masaya rin po kayo,” expressed Go.

“Minsan lang po tayo dadaan sa mundong ito. Kung ano pong kabutihan o tulong na pwede nating gawin sa ating kapwa ay gawin na po natin ngayon dahil hindi na po tayo babalik sa mundong ito. Ginawa n’yo pong pangulo si (dating) presidente Duterte sa anim na taon, ako po inyong senador ngayon ay patuloy po akong magseserbisyo sa inyo dahil ako po ay naniniwala, na ang serbisyo po sa tao, serbiyo po ‘yan sa Diyos,” ended Go.

Go was supposed to personally visit the town of Dipaculao but was limited by time and weather constraints. But earlier that day, the senator visited Baler to join Aurora Day festivities, visit the Malasakit Center there, and personally led a relief operation for indigents.