SEN. Bong Go extended assistance to families displaced by a fire in Barangay 810, Zone 88, Manila City, urging them to stay hopeful and prioritize their safety and well-being as they recover from the disaster.
Go dispatched his Malasakit Team on Oct. 15 to assist beneficiaries affected by the fire.
“Do not lose hope. Material things can be bought, and money can be earned, but life cannot be bought. A lost life is a lost life forever,” he said, stressing that while possessions can be replaced, human life remains paramount.
The beneficiaries received financial assistance, meals, water containers, grocery packs, vitamins, shirts, foldable fans, and other supplies, including pens, basketballs and volleyballs.
As vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go emphasized that disaster response should extend beyond immediate relief to address the health needs of displaced families, particularly those struggling to afford medical care.
He encouraged fire victims to seek assistance from nearby Malasakit Centers, which serve as one-stop shops for government medical assistance programs for indigent and financially incapacitated patients.
Go principally authored and sponsored Republic Act (RA) 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the establishment of the centers in Department of Health-run hospitals and the Philippine General Hospital.
The program brings together medical and financial assistance from concerned government agencies in one location to help patients cover hospital bills and other health-related expenses.
The Department of Health has established 167 Malasakit Centers nationwide, which have assisted more than 17 million Filipinos with their medical expenses.
In Manila, the centers operate in major public hospitals, including Tondo Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, and San Lazaro Hospital.
