Quezon elderly assured of special treatment
FORMER special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go on Thursday thanked senior citizens for their support as he vowed to push for measures to promote their welfare and protection.
“Isa kay os a pray or idadko.N ag pa pas ala mat
na kay Pangu long Du te rte[ You are one of my priorities. I would like to thank you for your support to me and most especially to President Rodrigo Duterte],” Go told senior citizens in Quezon province who said they would back his candidacy for the Senate in the 2019 elections.
He gave the assurance as he vowed to push for additional benefits to the country’s elderly in his message during the“Sa maSam an gP ask uh an: Han dog kay Lo lo at Lola”
pre-Christmas event for senior citizens of the province, held in San Andres town.
Go noted that the Duterte administration has ongoing programs for the benefit of senior citizens, such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) pension program for the country’s indigent elderly.
Part of his legislative plans, he said, was to support the creation of a Senior Citizens Commission and to place all Office of Senior Citizens Affairs in local government units under its control and supervision.
This commission will ensure that all rights and benefits under existing laws for the welfare of senior citizens such as the “Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010” are fully implemented or enforced.
In his visit to Quezon, Go announced that a Malasakit Center would be established in the province in two to three months’ time.
The number of Malasakit Centers in the country increased to 18 after the recent inauguration of another center in Malolos City, Bulacan.
The Malasakit Center is a one-stop shop program of the President where concerned government agencies like the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, DSWD, Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), among others, are housed together to streamline the process for indigent, vulnerable and disadvantaged patients to secure medical and financial assistance from the government.
Go also assured the elderly in Quezon that they would get special treatment in the Malasakit Centers.
He played a key role in the establishment of Malasakit Centers when he was serving as the President’s top aide.
Go added that one reason he is running for senator is to enact a law that would institutionalize the establishment of Malasakit Centers in all provinces and select urban centers in the country.
He was welcomed to the town of San Andres by the entourage of Pagcor President Alfredo C. Lim, PDP Quezon Chapter Vice President and San Andres mayoral candidate and lawyer Giovanne Lim, as well as other local and national leaders present at the celebration.