Senator Bong Go aids fire-hit families in Cebu City, pledges continued support

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go personally delivered financial aid, relief packs, and essential supplies to over a hundred families displaced by a recent fire in Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City, reaffirming his commitment to helping communities recover from disasters.

Go and his Malasakit Team organized a relief activity at the Barangay Mambaling Health Center on Wednesday, November 4, reaching 117 families affected by the November 1 fire incident.

The initiative sought to help residents meet their immediate needs while providing encouragement as they work toward rebuilding their homes and recovering from the incident.

As part of the activity, the beneficiaries received financial assistance, meals, vitamins, food packs, water containers, shirts, basketballs, volleyballs, and pickleballs.

Additional items, including a mobile phone, shoes, a watch, and a bicycle, were also prepared for distribution through a raffle during the activity.

Go expressed his gratitude to the people of Cebu for their continued support and trust.

He also asked the residents to include former President Rodrigo Duterte in their prayers.

"I only have one request of you, and that is for us to pray for Tatay Digong, for his good health and well-being. I consider him like my own father, and like a father to you as well who loved and cared for us for six years," he emphasized.

According to Go, helping families affected by calamities goes beyond providing immediate relief. He stressed that government assistance must remain accessible and responsive to the needs of communities.

Beyond immediate relief efforts, Go has consistently pushed for stronger government mechanisms to improve disaster preparedness, emergency response, temporary shelter, and long-term recovery.

He is the principal author and co-sponsor of Republic Act No. 12076, or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, which mandates the establishment of permanent evacuation centers in every city and municipality nationwide.

To further strengthen disaster management, Go filed Senate Bill No. 173, which seeks to establish a Department of Disaster Resilience tasked with improving government coordination and preparedness for natural and human-induced disasters.

He also filed SBN 415, or the proposed Rental Housing Subsidy Program Act, which seeks to provide rental assistance to eligible informal settler families and disaster victims who need temporary housing while recovering from calamities.

The senator is likewise the principal author and co-sponsor of RA 11589, or the Bureau of Fire Protection Modernization Act, which mandates the implementation of a comprehensive modernization program for the country's firefighting capabilities.

Meanwhile, Go recognized the efforts of local government officials in addressing the needs of disaster-affected residents, including Congresswoman Girlie Enriquez Veloso, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival, Barangay Mambaling Captain Roseller Salvador, and his good friend, Mr. Phillip Salvador.

Earlier that day, Go also visited and aided fire victims in Barangay Labongon, Mandaue City. He likewise personally went to the Cebu City Sports Institute, where he extended additional assistance to 308 fire victims from various barangays in Cebu City.