SENATOR Christopher “Bong” Go’s team continued its Palugaw ni Mr. Malasakit initiative in early December, reaching several public hospitals in Metro Manila and Mindanao as part of its ongoing effort to provide simple yet meaningful support to patients, their watchers, and healthcare workers.
From Dec. 9 to 12, various feeding activities were conducted at San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital and Ospital ng Malabon in Malabon City, as well as Navotas City Hospital. The initiative also reached Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City, one of the country’s largest referral hospitals serving patients from across Mindanao.
The program then expanded further across northern Metro Manila. The Malasakit Team distributed warm meals at Valenzuela City Emergency Hospital and Valenzuela Medical Center in Valenzuela City, before proceeding to East Avenue Medical Center, Philippine Heart Center, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and National Kidney and Transplant Institute, all in Quezon City.
Through Palugaw ni Mr. Malasakit, Senator Go’s office aims to provide a small measure of comfort inside hospitals where long waiting hours and emotional strain are part of everyday life. While simple in form, the initiative reflects the senator’s consistent advocacy of bringing government assistance closer to the people, particularly in places where Filipinos seek care, hope, and healing.
As the program continues to move from one hospital to another, it underscores a steady message: that even modest gestures, when done regularly and with purpose, can help ease the daily burden faced by patients, families, and frontliners across the country.
Complementing the Palugaw initiative is the network of Malasakit Centers, present in most of the hospitals served. These one-stop shops, institutionalized through Republic Act No. 11463, which Senator Go principally authored and sponsored, streamline government medical assistance and ease the financial strain of hospitalization, especially for the poor and indigent.
As of now, 167 Malasakit Centers are operational across the country, poised to assist with patients’ medical expenses. The DOH reports that the Malasakit Center program has already provided aid to more than 17 million Filipinos.
“Patuloy kaming magseserbisyo sa inyo dahil bisyo ko ang magserbisyo at ako ay naniniwala na ang serbisyo sa tao ay serbisyo ‘yan sa Panginoon,” underscored Go who is known as Mr. Malasakit for his compassionate service to Filipinos in need.
