SEN. Bong Go sent an outreach team to provide assistance to families affected by a fire in Barangay Putatan, Muntinlupa City on Tuesday.
“What I always say is, we can buy things and earn money if we work hard. But the money we earn cannot buy life,” the senator said in a video message.
The relief operation benefited 90 families displaced by the fire. Of these, 87 suffered total damage to their homes, while three sustained partial damage.
Go’s team distributed snacks, vitamins, grocery packs, shirts, basketballs, and volleyballs to affected residents.
In his message, the senator recognized government support programs aimed at helping victims rebuild their homes by providing financial aid for construction materials.
As chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, Go encouraged residents with medical concerns to seek assistance from Malasakit Centers, a major part of his advocacy.
The program consolidates services from the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office in one location to make it easier for indigent patients to access assistance.
Go is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act (RA) 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the program nationwide.
At present, 167 Malasakit Centers are operational across the country, including 32 in Metro Manila and two in Muntinlupa City.
In Muntinlupa, the centers are located at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and Ospital ng Muntinlupa. According to the DOH, the program has already assisted more than 17 million Filipinos.
Stressing the importance of disaster preparedness and fire prevention measures, he noted that RA 12076, or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, was signed into law on Dec. 6, 2024, mandating the establishment of permanent and fully equipped evacuation centers in all cities and municipalities nationwide.
“We will continue to serve you because it is my habit to serve, and I believe that service to people is service to God,” Go said.
