With his compassionate and unwavering service to Filipinos, member of the Senate Committee on Justice Senator Christopher “Bong” Go was honored once more and dubbed Outstanding Senator at the 8th Mandatory Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Accredited National Convention of Public Attorneys Office on Tuesday, 13 August at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
Underscoring his advocacies for the indigent Filipinos, Go, Chairperson of Senate Committees on Health, on Sports and on Youth, mentioned his pro-poor programs which aim to elevate the lives of his fellow kababayans and bring public services closer to the people especially the poor.
“Go initiated the Malasakit Centers program in 2018 after witnessing the struggles of financially disadvantaged Filipinos in settling their medical expenses. The program, institutionalized in 2019 under Republic Act (RA) 11463, was principally authored and sponsored by Go.
Since its inception, the program has established 166 Malasakit Centers across the country, with the Department of Health reporting that approximately 10 million Filipinos have benefited from these centers.
He also advocated for the establishment of more Super Health Centers nationwide. With the collective efforts of Go, his fellow lawmakers, the DoH led by Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa, and local government units, over 700 Super Health Centers have been funded across the country to bring primary care, medical consultations and early disease detection closer to communities.
Senator Go further highlighted RA 11959, also known as the Regional Specialty Centers Act, which he principally sponsored and is one of the authors in the Senate. He underscored the importance of this legislation as a significant step forward in improving the availability of specialized medical care in all regions.
With a theme “Ang Public Attorney’s Office sa Bagong Pilipinas: Nagbibigay ng Maaasahan, Agaran at Karampatang Ligal na Serbisyo sa Maralitang Pilipino Upang Isulong ang Karapatang Panlipunan,” Go was invited to the event as a guest of honor and to personally receive his award as an Outstanding Senator, saying this is also an opportunity for him to pay tribute to the invaluable service of these dedicated public servants.
Go was also previously named an Outstanding Senator during the 5th National Convention of the Public Attorney’s Office Rank and File Employees in 2023, the 7th MCLE Accredited National Convention of Public Attorney’s Office Day in October 2022, and the 4th National Convention of the Public Attorney’s Office Rank and File Employees in 2019.
“As public servants, it is our primary objective to secure the life, liberty, and welfare of our people...the same thing can be said about our legal system, about the justice system, (and health) pareho ang trabaho natin,” Go emphasized.