PASAY CITY -- Senator Christopher "Bong" Go raised anew the need for the enactment of Senate Bill No. 205, also known as the Disaster Resilience Act of 2019, that he filed in 2019 and which seeks to create the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR), as he aided flash flood victims in Sta. Cruz, Occidental Mindoro on Friday, September 10.

Go, in his video message, highlighted that the creation of the DDR shall concentrate in three significant areas, namely, disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery and building forward better.

"Nag-file rin po ako sa Senado ng Department of Disaster Resilience (bill), departamentong Cabinet-secretary level, para bago pa dumating ang bagyo, mayroon ng coordination with local government units at mas makakapaghanda na," said Go.

"Kapag mayroong bagyo, makakapag-evacuate kaagad. Bago pa dumating ang bagyo, dapat madala kaagad sila sa mga evacuation centers para walang masaktan. Pagkatapos naman ay rehabilitation efforts at restoration of normalcy na. Holistic po ang approach," he added.

Meanwhile, the Senator's staff gave food, vitamins, masks, and face shields to a total of 1,000 flash flood victims at the Pinagturilan National High School Gym. To guarantee that all health and safety measures against COVID-19 were rigorously followed, the beneficiaries were divided into batches.

Go's team also offered new pairs of shoes to selected beneficiaries, as well as bicycles to those who are struggling to commute. They also gave computer tablets for children's use in schools' blended learning programs.

In a separate distribution, representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development also handed out financial assistance as part of ongoing efforts by the national government to help communities recover from disasters.

Continuing his message, the Senator, who also serves as the Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, offered to help individuals with medical problems and strongly recommended them to go to the Malasakit Center at the Occidental Mindoro Provincial Hospital in Mamburao.

The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop initiated by Go where poor and indigent patients may conveniently avail of medical assistance from the DSWD, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The centers have benefited an estimated two million Filipino patients. There are currently 139 Malasakit centers nationwide.

"Marami pa pong mga Pilipino ang hindi nakakaalam sa Malasakit Center. Wala itong pinipili. Karapatan niyo bilang Pilipino ang maka-avail ng serbisyo nito. Target nito na maging 'zero balance' ang inyong hospital bill para wala na kayong babayaran," explained Go.

He went on to commend various public officials for their efforts to help the victims rebuild their lives, namely Representative Josephine Ramirez-Sato, Governor Eduardo Gadiano, Vice Governor Peter Alfaro, Mayor Meriam Leycano – Quijano, Vice-Mayor Ernesto Torreliza, and other local officials.

As Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, Go has supported several infrastructure initiatives to enhance the economic growth and development of Occidental Mindoro. These include the construction of other roads in Calintaan, Magsaysay, Sablayan, and San Jose; a drainage canal in San Jose; flood control structures in Abra de Ilog, Sablayan, and San Jose; an evacuation center in Mamburao, Sablayan, and Calintaan; a barangay hall in Paluan; public market buildings in Magsaysay and San Jose; numerous water system projects in Calintaan, Magsaysay, Rizal, and San Jose; and a protection dike and the improvement of the Balibago Bridge in Mamburao.

From September 8 to 9, the Senator's team also conducted relief efforts for 1,000 flash flood victims in Sablayan, Occidental Mindoro. (OSBG)

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