Senator Bong Go commended the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for the agency’s assurance that it will continue to support and help strengthen the Malasakit Centers program, among other initiatives that can uplift the lives of the poor.
Malasakit Centers are one-stop shops that provide particularly poor and indigent patients with more convenient access to medical assistance programs from the DSWD, Department of Health, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
Go is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which institutionalized the Malasakit Centers program.
According to the Department of Health (DOH), there are 157 operational centers that have helped more than seven million Filipinos nationwide.
At the Commission on Appointments confirmation hearing in the Senate recently, the chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography asked DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian on the status of the deployment of DSWD personnel in Malasakit Centers as mandated by law.
“The department… always makes it a point to support all laws that are mandated on us to be the lead agency or the support agency. We have full deployment of social workers and case managers in the Malasakit Centers,” Gatchalian replied, whose ad interim appointment was supported by the legislator and consequently confirmed in the CA plenary.
The lawmaker also inquired about efforts to further streamline and harmonize requirements in availing medical and financial assistance from the government.
The senator highlighted the concept of a “one-stop shop” as envisioned in Malasakit Centers where poor and indigent patients will not need to go outside of the hospital and visit other offices just to avail of medical assistance.
“Mr. Senator, you have our assurance that we will make sure to work with your office because you’re the (principal) author (and sponsor) of (the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019) … there are provisions there that we can further streamline so that ‘yung mga tao, hindi na ho sila pabalik-balik sa social worker, punta sa Malasakit Center, but rather, everything should be processed inside the Malasakit Center the way you envisioned it,” the social welfare chief answered.
The social welfare head assured that the DSWD continues to prioritize the Malasakit Centers program, as mandated under Republic Act No. 11463, sharing his plans for the agency to digitalize the process of providing other forms of assistance to Filipinos.
“’Yung digitalization plan natin is to see to it na dapat pagpasok ng pasyente sa loob ng hospital…dapat end-to-end na ho siya.”
Recognizing the need for more efficient and accessible services, Gatchalian stressed, “Moving forward, … yung digitalization plan natin is to see to it na dapat pagpasok ng pasyente sa loob ng hospital, and this applies to our guarantee letters po, and, hopefully, later on, the DOH can also probably adopt the same platform, dapat end-to-end na ho siya.”
For his part, Go expressed gratitude for Gatchalian’s shared vision for the Malasakit Centers program, saying, “Alam n’yo, ‘yung pamasahe, malaking bagay rin po ‘yon sa mga mahihirap nating mga kababayan. Makakatipid po sila sa pamasahe, panahon na po na hindi na sila kailangan pang pabalik-balik. Tulungan po natin sila. …Yung mga mahihirap, sila po ‘yung pumupunta sa mga government hospitals po.”
Expressing his support for Gatchalian, Go looks forward to continue working with the DSWD in helping particularly poor and indigent Filipinos, adding “Secretary Rex, we are honored to have you as the Secretary of the DSWD, and I have no doubt that you will exceed our expectations. Siguraduhin natin ang mabilis at tapat na serbisyo sa ating mga kababayan sa inyong pamumuno. Let us continue to serve and protect our underprivileged kababayans. Together, let us build a better country for them and the generations to come.”
“Sana po maipagpatuloy natin ang mga magagandang nasimulan ng Duterte administration at galingan pa po natin ngayon, sa panahon ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos.”
“Isa lamang po ang hinihiling ko sa inyo, Secretary Rex, huwag po natin kalimutan ‘yung mga poor… kababayans, yung mga hopeless and helpless na wala pong matakbuhan kundi tayo dito sa gobyerno, tulungan po natin sila. Sana po maipagpatuloy natin ang mga magagandang nasimulan ng Duterte administration at galingan pa po natin ngayon, sa panahon ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos,” he added.
“Alam kong gusto ninyo pong tulungan rin ang mga kababayan nating mahihirap. I know that your heart is for the poor, at kaisa po ninyo ako as you fulfill the mandate of your agency… I am confident that the DSWD is in good hands,” Go concluded.
