TURNOVER. Special Assistant to the President Christopher "Bong" Go (second from left) turns over the PHP50-million check for Malasakit Center to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center director Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr. (second from right) and Department of Health-7 Director Jaime Bernadas (right) on Tuesday (May 1, 2018). Looking on is Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Lloyd Dino. (Photo by Luel Galarpe/PNA)
CEBU CITY -- Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go turned over the PHP50-million pledge of President Rodrigo Duterte to the Malasakit Center in Cebu on Tuesday, in a brief ceremony at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino here.
Last February, the President promised to give PHP50 million for the Malasakit Center during the unveiling of the facility’s dedication plate at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).
Go, who handed the check to VSMMC hospital chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr. and Department of Health - Central Visayas (DOH-7) Director Jaime Bernadas, said the money is intended to help indigent patients needing financial assistance for medication, diagnostic examinations, and payment for hospital bills.
The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop staffed by representatives from the DOH, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp (Pagcor).
It was conceived in response to the President’s earnest desire to help the poor who are in need of medical attention, Go said.
Go said the one-stop shop center is similar to the program they have in Davao City, where patients can easily process their request for financial aid either from the DOH, DSWD, PhilHealth, PCSO, or Pagcor.
“The President told me to talk with (Presidential Assistant for the Visayas) Mike (Dino) and see if we can implement this program nationwide. So, I talked with Mike and told him about this program initiated by Mayor Sara (Duterte-Carpio) in Davao. Thus, Malasakit was born,” Go said in Bisaya.
Dino, who also graced the turnover, said the Malasakit Center in Cebu is the pilot area for the program in the Visayas and he hopes the program will be replicated around the country.
“For the time being, we have this one-stop desk at the VSMMC, and we have catered to the needs of 10,944 indigent patients and have shelled out about PHP55 million in financial assistance, so far. If this program becomes successful, hopefully, we can replicate this around the country,” Dino said.
Go assured Dino the government will replenish the PHP50 million immediately once it has all been spent.
Meanwhile, Go said he doesn’t have any plan to run for the Senate in 2019.
“I’m not preparing to run for senator. It’s too early to talk about that and I’m not ready for it. If we have such an ambition, we should plan for it,” Go told reporters in Cebuano.
Also present at the turnover were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. (PNA)
