Press Release - Bong Go visits fire victims in Manila City to help them rebuild as he champions emergency housing assistance program
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go pledged his continuous support for the Emergency Housing Assistance Program of the National Housing Authority (NHA), as he and his Malasakit Team personally aided fire victims in Manila City on Tuesday, February 27.
"Ang matatanggap niyo po ngayon ay mula sa programa ng NHA kung saan kayo po ay bibigyan ng emergency housing assistance o tulong pinansyal para makapamili po kayo ng mga materyales, tulad ng pako, yero at iba pa, at makapagsimula muli," said Go.
Aside from the emergency housing assistance from the NHA, Go and his Malasakit Team distributed snacks, food packs, shirts, balls for basketball and volleyball, vitamins, and masks to 289 families in the city to the fire victims in a relief activity held at Barangay 17, Zone 2, District 1 in Tondo. Select individuals also received a bicycle, mobile phone, shoes, and a watch.
"Ang gamit ay nabibili. Ang pera ay kikitain, subalit 'yung perang kikitain ay hindi po nabibili ang buhay. A lost life is a lost life forever. Pangalagaan natin ang buhay na binigay sa atin ng Panginoon," Go told the victims.
In anticipation of Fire Prevention Month on March, Go reminded communities to heighten vigilance and strengthen prevention awareness efforts. He then thanked former president Rodrigo Duterte for signing the Bureau of Fire Protection Modernization Act in 2021, which he principally authored and co-sponsored in the Senate.
Republic Act No. 11589 mandates the BFP to undergo a ten-year modernization program, which involves acquiring and enhancing fire-fighting equipment, hiring additional fire personnel, and providing specialized training, among other initiatives. This also includes fire prevention awareness drives in local communities.
Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography urged residents to utilize the services of Malasakit Centers located in the city. Initiated by Go in 2018, the Malasakit Centers program was institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which he principally authored and sponsored in the Senate.
Currently, 159 Malasakit Centers nationwide have helped around ten million indigent Filipinos, according to the
