Senator Christopher "Bong" Go provided assistance to recovering fire victims in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental on Wednesday, 11 October.

Held at the municipal building, Go's team assisted a total of 31 affected families with shirts, masks, vitamins, snacks, and balls for basketball and volleyball. There were also select recipients of shoes.

Meanwhile, a team from the National Housing Authority (NHA) distributed housing assistance to qualified families to help rebuild their homes.

"Yung mga nag-qualify ay mabibigyan ng National Housing Authority ng ayuda pambili ng housing materials tulad ng pako, yero at iba pa upang maisaayos muli ang kanilang mga tirahan," Go said in a video message.

Go expressed confidence that following the implementation of Republic Act No. 11589 or the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Modernization Act of 2021, the country's fire response and prevention efforts will further improve.

RA 11589, which was primarily authored and co-sponsored by Go in the Senate, mandates the modernization of the fire bureau through the acquisition of new equipment, recruitment of additional personnel, and provision of specialized training for firefighters, among others. It also tasks the BFP to conduct monthly fire prevention campaigns and information drives in every local government unit, in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government.

"Saksi ako sa hinagpis na nararamdaman ng mga biktima ng sunog. Kada buwan, ilang komunidad ang ating binibisita sa iba't ibang panig ng bansa upang makapagbigay ng tulong. Ang gamit po ay nabibili. Ang pera po ay kikitain rin po natin, magsipag lang tayo. Subalit 'yung perang kikitain ay hindi po nabibili ang buhay. Ang nawalang buhay po ay wala na. A lost life is a lost life forever," the senator shared.

"Obligasyon ng gobyerno na maging handa sa oras ng sakuna kaya nag-file ako ng batas para mabigyan ng karagdagang kagamitan at personnel ang ating Bureau of Fire Protection," he added.

Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, likewise urged those with health issues to visit Northern Mindanao Medical Center and J.R. Borja General Hospital in Cagayan de Oro City, where they can conveniently avail of medical assistance through the Malasakit Centers.