Allow me to extend my warmest wishes of love, peace, joy, and good health to all as we celebrate the holidays. Alongside the practice of self-love, ensuring we are always in the best of health should be our concern for one another. This means putting value on our health and that of our fellow Filipinos.

The real essence of Christmas is not measured by how many gifts we give or receive. It is measured by how we value and push each other up when the going gets rough. These values of service and compassion, or "malasakit (compassion)," have helped us survive the past three years of the pandemic, and these will be the same values that will help us navigate the challenges ahead as we welcome a new year.

As chair of the Senate Committee on Health, I reiterate my appeal for moderation in everything we do. Let us exercise moderation in eating and be wary of our food intake, avoiding what we call the "MA" foods — Mataba (fatty), Maalat (salty), and Matamis (sweet). By doing this, we do not deprive ourselves of what we want to eat, but, at the same time, we keep ourselves healthy by following a balanced diet.

The enactment of Republic Act 11959 or the Regional Specialty Centers Act, of which I am the principal sponsor and one of the authors, is timely. We are off to a good start with this multi-year plan to establish specialty centers in existing Department of Health regional hospitals. While we have been so engrossed in fighting Covid-19, let us not forget that other illnesses have a high prevalence in the country, including cancer, diabetes, and its many complications.

Establishing Regional Specialty Centers will address the marginalized Filipinos' need for specialty centers right in their regions, without going to Metro Manila to seek specialty care. But while we are addressing this concern, I want to emphasize that prevention is still better than cure.

Before your minor health concerns become serious, have yourselves checked at the various Super Health Centers and avail yourself of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation's consultation package. Together with the DoH, local government units, and fellow lawmakers, we have advocated for the funding and construction of more than 600 Super Health centers to be established nationwide to bring primary care, consultations, and early disease detection to your communities.

We also have 159 Malasakit Centers nationwide to help you with your medical needs. Through the Malasakit Centers Act, which I principally sponsored and authored, any Filipino can conveniently avail of medical assistance from the government.