To give hope, support their recovery

SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go, together with fellow Senators Imee Marcos and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, organized a relief operation for 665 fire-hit families whose houses were severely damaged in a fire incident in Mandaue City, Cebu.

After their visit to Mandaue City, Go and dela Rosa also visited another fire-hit community in Cebu City where 272 affected families were provided with assistance.

Aside from immediate aid given by their offices in coordination with national agencies, the senators interacted with the victims to listen to their concerns and give them hope and support to help their communities recover from the tragedy while overcoming the ongoing pandemic.

Mounted at Mandaue City Sports Complex and Ma. Gochan Sports Complex in Cebu City, they provided grocery packs, meals, masks, and shirts to each affected household while the Department of Social Welfare and Development extended financial assistance to help the families sustain their basic needs.

Meanwhile, select recipients were given bicycles, cellular phones, masks, shoes, watches, umbrellas, and balls for basketball and volleyball.

“Sa mga fire victims sa Mandaue (City) at Cebu (City), sana nasa mabuti kayong kalagayan. huwag kayong mawalan ng pag-asa, ang importante ay buhay kayo. Ang gamit mabibili natin ‘yan, ang pera kikitain natin ‘yan. Pero ang perang kikitain natin ay hindi mabibili ang buhay. A lost life is a lost life forever. Magtulungan lang tayo, kaya natin ito,” said Go during the ambush interview after the event.

He likewise reaffirmed that together with Mayors Jonas Cortes and Mike Rama of Mandaue City and Cebu City, respectively, they are committed to uplifting the affected families and help them to be relocated, if needed.

Go also said that he will continue to extend his support to distressed Filipino families amid the pandemic to hasten their recovery. For his part as senator, he principally authored and co-sponsored the passage of Republic Act No. 11589, otherwise known as the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Modernization Act. The measure’s main sponsor was Senator dela Rosa.

“Importante po na mabigyan ng suporta ang modernization ng ating Bureau of Fire Protection dahil napakaimportante ng tungkulin na ginagampanan nila upang makapagligtas ng buhay,” Go explained.

“Halos linggo-linggo akong bumababa sa mga nasusunugan. Nakikita ko ang hirap ng ating mga kababayan. Kahit isang bahay lang ang masunog, damay pati ang kapitbahay. Maraming pamilya ang apektado kaya dapat na palakasin natin ang kapasidad ng BFP sa pagreresponde sa sunog,” he added.

Signed by former president Rodrigo Duterte last year, the Act provides for the acquisition of modern fire equipment, expansion of the BFP’s manpower, and provision of highly-specialized training to firefighters, among others. Apart from that, it mandates the bureau to implement monthly fire prevention campaigns and information drives in every local government unit.

Apart from the assistance, Go offered aid to those needing medical attention. He encouraged them to visit any of the six Malasakit Centers in the province including those at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City and Eversley Childs Sanitarium and General Hospital in Mandaue City.

The Malasakit Center was first established in VSMMC in 2018. Go, who Chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, then successfully pushed the program to be institutionalized under the Republic Act No. 11463 and now has established 153 Malasakit Centers nationwide.

Aside from the mentioned Malasakit Centers, there are also centers at Talisay District Hospital, St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital, Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital, and in Cebu Provincial Hospital in Carcar City.

“Nasa gitna pa tayo ng krisis dulot ng COVID-19, nasunugan pa sila… kaya mapasaya man lamang natin sila kahit sandali, masaya na rin kami. Nawawala ang aming pagod. Nakita natin kanina, yung mga babae umiiyak mamaya humahagikgik na po, naiiyak po sa tawa at saya, mapasaya man lamang namin sila kahit sandali, masaya na rin kami. Mahal po namin ang aming kapwa Pilipino,” he concluded.

On the same day, Go and dela Rosa also spearheaded a relief effort for market vendors and even attended the Cebu Provincial Year-end Summit of barangay leaders in Cebu City.