Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has recently visited Barangay San Antonio to distribute financial and material relief to 1,140 families displaced by two recent major fires in the area.

The emergency distributions addressed two separate disasters that struck the neighborhood earlier this month.

A fire on 6 May in the Lower Barangay district impacted 1,070 families, while a subsequent fire on 10 May in the Sta. Maria Subdivision displaced an additional 70 families.

"We can buy new things and earn money back if we work hard, but money cannot buy life," Go told the displaced residents during the distribution. "A lost life is a lost life forever."

The relief operation was carried out in coordination with local leaders, including Councilor Binky Favis and Barangay Captain Pol Casale.

Go's office provided affected households with financial assistance, grocery packs, snacks, vitamins, shirts and pens. Select beneficiaries also received shoes, cellular phones, bicycles and sports equipment.

Beyond immediate aid, Go used the visit to highlight statutory efforts to strengthen the nation's disaster resilience.

He cited the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, a law he principally authored that mandates the creation of permanent, disaster-resilient evacuation centers across all cities and municipalities.

Under the law, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council identifies priority areas, the Department of Public Works and Highways handles construction, and local government units oversee operations.

Go also detailed several pending legislative measures he filed, including bills to establish a Department of Disaster Resilience, provide rental housing subsidies for displaced families, and secure hazard pay for emergency personnel.

To improve fire response capabilities, Go pointed to the Bureau of Fire Protection Modernization Act, which mandates a multiyear upgrade of structural equipment, manpower expansion, and specialized training for local firefighters.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, the senator also promoted the availability of local medical subsidies for indigent patients through the Malasakit Centers Act. The law institutionalized one-stop shops within public hospitals to consolidate state financial medical aid.

According to the Department of Health, 167 Malasakit Centers have been established nationwide, serving more than 17 million Filipinos. Parañaque City hosts one operational center at the Ospital ng Parañaque.