Cebu mother finds hope in Malasakit Centers as son battles heart disease

A Cebu City mother has shared her gratitude to Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and the Malasakit Center program for helping her family during a life-threatening health crisis.

Mercy Estrada’s son, Khai Noa, was diagnosed with congenital heart disease and required urgent surgery at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. For the Estrada family, the challenge of traveling from Cebu to Manila was compounded by the looming cost of medical treatment.

At the Malasakit Center, however, Estrada found the assistance she desperately needed.

“Malaking bagay po ang inyong tulong para madugtungan ang buhay ng anak ko at maisalba sa kumplikasyon ng congenital heart disease. Maraming, maraming salamat po at God bless you po sa inyo. Thank you po,” she said, recalling how the program eased their burden.

Her story reflects the experiences of thousands of Filipinos who have turned to Malasakit Centers for help in reducing hospital expenses.

Go, the principal author of Republic Act 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, institutionalized the initiative to provide continuity and stability to the medical assistance program. To date, 167 Malasakit Centers are operational nationwide, benefitting more than 17 million Filipinos, according to the Department of Health.

“For my second term, with all sincerity, I will continue to push for pro-poor programs and laws, especially on health. Health is wealth. We must collaborate to bring quality medical services closer to our people, particularly the poor and indigent patients. Ang kalusugan ay katumbas ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino,” Go said in his proclamation speech after being re-elected senator.

Go has consistently framed the initiative as part of his broader health reform agenda aimed at making medical services more accessible to ordinary Filipinos.

For the Estrada family, that mission became a lifeline—transforming an overwhelming ordeal into a story of survival, hope, and gratitude.