SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go directed his team to provide assistance to senior citizens during the Elderly Week celebration held at the Barangay Mintal Gymnasium in Davao City.

A total of 1,561 senior citizens were in attendance, where select recipients received grocery packs, and shirts, shoes, cellular phones, and balls for basketball and volleyball.

Go also highlighted his role in co-authoring Republic Act 11916, an amendment to RA 7432 that will increase the monthly pension allowance for senior citizens from P500 to P1,000.

Under the law, the monthly stipend shall be released to qualified beneficiaries in the form of cash, direct remittance, electronic transfer, or other modes of delivery, whichever is more convenient to the beneficiary. Furthermore, transaction or service fees upon release of the allowances to target beneficiaries shall be waived.

Subject to the approval of the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Social Welfare and Development will likewise be tasked to assess, and when necessary, increase the amount of social pension every two years after its enactment into law.

“Nasa kultura na rin po ng Pilipino na alagaan natin ang mga nakakatanda, kaya naman nakakatuwa po na binigyang importansya ng Senado ang pagbibigay ng dagdag na pensyon sa ating mga senior citizens,” he cited.

The senator then encouraged the beneficiaries to avail of the services of the Malasakit Centers should they need medical assistance. Recounting his experiences working with underprivileged patients in Davao City when former president Rodrigo Duterte was still mayor, Go spoke of the need to address the financial hardships that patients face so they can receive needed medical attention.

To address this, Go, in his first six months as senator, principally authored and sponsored the bill that became Republic Act No. 11463, otherwise known as the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019.

There are now 158 Malasakit Centers nationwide that have benefitted more than seven million patients so far according to DOH. The Malasakit Center in Davao City is located at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC). In SPMC alone, the Malasakit Center has assisted more than 200,000 patients.

Go also continues to support the construction of more Super Health Centers (SHCs) nationwide. The DOH has identified 11 strategic locations in Davao City for the centers, which will offer database management, out-patient, birthing, isolation, diagnostic (laboratory: x-ray, ultrasound), pharmacy, and ambulatory surgical unit. Other available services are eye, ear, nose, and throat (EENT) service; oncology centers; physical therapy and rehabilitation center; and telemedicine, which makes remote diagnosis and treatment of patients possible.

Through the collective efforts of fellow lawmakers, enough funds have been allocated for the DOH to build 307 SHCs in 2022 and 322 in 2023. DOH, which is the lead agency in implementing the program, identifies the strategic locations for the construction of these centers.

To help improve the quality of public service delivered to his fellow Davaoeños, Go, vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, likewise supported the construction of various multipurpose buildings and local roads, rehabilitation of water systems, drainage systems and flood control structures in different barangays throughout the city, the construction of a 300-bed capacity infectious diseases building for SPMC and the acquisition of ambulances.

“Palagi po natin unahin ang kapakanan ng ating mga mahihirap na kababayan lalo na po ang mga nakakatanda. Malapit po kami ni dating pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte sa mga senior citizens, kaya alam po natin kung gaano kahalaga na mabigyan sila ng suporta at atensyon,” emphasized Go.

“Ako naman po, asahan niyo po na patuloy ko pong uunahin ang kapakanan ng ating mga nangangailangan tulad ng senior citizens. Kaya naman po patuloy din po akong susuporta sa mga programa para sa ikabubuti ng buhay ng ating mga nakakatanda,” he vowed.