Bong Go seeks expansion of OFW hospital in Pampanga

The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Hospital in San Fernando City, Pampanga, a flagship healthcare project under the Duterte administration, has earned international recognition — and now, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go is pushing to ensure its growth and permanence.

The facility was recently named “Public Facility of the Year (Health Category – Philippines)” at the 2025 GovMedia Conference & Awards held in Singapore, highlighting its growing role in providing dedicated healthcare for migrant workers and their families.

Go, who served as the Senate Committee on Health Chairperson when the hospital opened in May 2022, said the award underscores the hospital’s impact and the need to institutionalize its operations.

“This isn’t just a hospital. It’s proof that we can prioritize our OFWs, who have long been called modern-day heroes,” said Go in Filipino.

As one of the authors of Republic Act No. 11641, which created the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Go has filed several legislative measures aimed at strengthening the services and longevity of the OFW Hospital. Among them is Senate Bill No. 2297, which seeks to institutionalize the facility, ensuring it remains beyond the reach of political turnover.

He has also proposed Senate Bill No. 2990 to double the hospital’s bed capacity from 50 to 100, upgrade its equipment, and expand staffing. Another proposal, Senate Bill No. 2414 or the OFW Ward Act, mandates the creation of dedicated wards for OFWs and their dependents in all Department of Health (DOH) hospitals nationwide.

“We can’t afford for these programs to be short-lived. They should be permanent and even expanded,” Go emphasized.

Go also lauded the DMW’s Anti-Illegal Recruitment and Trafficking in Persons (AIRTIP) Program, which was honored at the same event as “Campaign of the Year (Labour Category – Philippines)” for its role in protecting OFWs from abuse and exploitation.

The OFW Hospital was developed through a collaboration between the national government and the provincial government of Pampanga and has since become a vital institution in delivering specialized care for Filipino workers returning from abroad.