Bong Go provides support, assistance to displaced workers in Digos City, Davao del Sur

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has consistently pushed for more livelihood opportunities for poor Filipinos, acknowledging how the pandemic has adversely impacted their jobs. On Thursday, November 23, Go gave assistance to displaced workers in Digos City, Davao del Sur.

In coordination with Governor Yvonne Roña Cagas, Go's team assisted a total of 198 individuals at the Provincial Capitol and provided snacks, shirts, vitamins, and balls for basketball and volleyball. They also gave select recipients a pair of shoes, a mobile phone, and a watch.

Meanwhile, the qualified beneficiaries received livelihood support from the Department of Labor and Employment's (DOLE) Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.

"Ang TUPAD ay hindi lamang isang programa; ito'y nagbibigay pag-asa sa mga manggagawang Pilipino na nawalan ng trabaho o kabuhayan dahil sa mga pagsubok na hinaharap natin. Sa pamamagitan nito, marami sa ating mga kababayan ang nabigyan ng pagkakataon na magkaroon ng pansamantalang trabaho at kumita ng maayos para sa kanilang pamilya," he stressed further.

To further promote the welfare of Filipino workers affected by crises and ensure that those who reside in rural areas lacking job opportunities are taken care of, Go filed Senate Bill No. (SBN) 420, which seeks to offer temporary employment to eligible members of low-income rural households. Under the proposed legislation, the Rural Employment Assistance Program (REAP) would be created within the DOLE.

If this bill is enacted into law, REAP's primary objective would be to offer temporary job opportunities to individuals who meet the criteria for economic disadvantage, poverty, displacement, or seasonal employment.

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go has consistently underscored the crucial need to enhance and broaden the country's healthcare system, ensuring that medical services are accessible to underserved communities. He has been pushing for the establishment of Super Health Centers nationwide.

The Super Health Center is a medium version of a polyclinic yet an improved version of the rural health unit. The services that will be available in the center include database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit.

Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service; oncology centers; physical therapy and rehabilitation centers; and telemedicine. These centers can also be used as satellite vaccination sites for those Filipinos who live far from the urban centers.

Furthermore, Go principally authored and sponsored Republic Act 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019 to ensure that particularly poor and indigent patients get the medical assistance they need from the government.

Nearby Malasakit Centers are located at the Davao del Sur Provincial Hospital in the city or the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City. To date, 159 operational centers have assisted more than ten million Filipinos nationwide, according to DOH.

As the principal sponsor and one of the authors in the Senate, Go has highlighted the recently enacted RA 11959, known as the Regional Specialty Centers Act. The legislation mandates the establishment of regional specialty centers within existing DOH regional hospitals, stressing the government's commitment to enhancing the nation's healthcare infrastructure.

Meanwhile, aligning with his dedication to improving the quality of life for the people of the province, Go, who is the vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, supported the construction of multipurpose buildings in Digos City, Bansalan, Hagonoy, Magsaysay, Malalag, Padada, and Sulop; and the development of a bat cave in Matanao.