Bong Go bats for more livelihood opportunities for the poor as he assists workers in General Trias City, Cavite

Senator Christopher "Bong" Go's Malasakit Team helped displaced workers in General Trias City, Cavite, on Monday, May 6, in coordination with Sangguniang Panlalawigan Member Morit Sison.

In his video message, Go, who is an adopted son of CALABARZON, stressed the significance of implementing improved strategies to tackle livelihood concerns, ensuring a more inclusive economic recovery.

In line with this, Go filed Senate Bill No. 420, which aims to institutionalize a program that offers employment to eligible individuals from underprivileged rural households. According to the proposed measure, the Rural Employment Assistance Program (REAP) would be established to provide temporary employment avenues for individuals meeting specific criteria, including economic hardship, poverty, displacement, or reliance on seasonal employment.

The distribution activity was held at the Balikatan Basketball Court. There were 53 displaced workers who received snacks, masks, shirts, vitamins, and balls for basketball and volleyball, while there were select recipients of shoes.

The DOLE also conducted an orientation for those eligible for their Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program in partnership with Go's office.

"Sa totoo lang po, 'wag po kayong magpasalamat sa amin. Kami po ang dapat magpasalamat sa inyo dahil binigyan n'yo kami ng pagkakataon na makapagserbisyo sa inyo," said Go, who is also known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassion for the poor.

"Bisyo ko na po ang magserbisyo. Tulungan natin yung mga mahihirap nating kababayan, 'yung mga helpless at hopeless na walang matakbuhan kung hindi ang gobyerno. Ilapit natin ang serbisyo ng gobyerno sa mga nangangailangan nito," he added.

Apart from the support to workers, Go, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, mentioned that Caviteños may avail of medical assistance program from the Malasakit Centers at General Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital in Imus City and Southern Tagalog Regional Hospital in Bacoor City.

Established in 2018, the Malasakit Centers are one-stop shops that consolidate various government medical assistance programs, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Health (DOH), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Go is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program. To date, 164 operational centers have helped more than ten million Filipinos nationwide, according to DOH.