Malasakit Center opens at Eversley

CEBU, Philippines —  The Duterte administration’s Malasakit Center has now reached far and wide with over 66 centers in government hospitals located in 34 cities and provinces all over the country since it started on February of last year at Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City.

The latest center, which was unveiled yesterday by Senator Bong Go, was at Eversley Childs Sanitarium and General Hospital in Barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City.

 Go also turned over to Department of Health-7, through Regional Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas, a P5 million check from the Office of the President for the Malasakit Center.

Go, who conceptualized the Malasakit Centers together with Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, said the poor and indigent patients need not wait for five days or weeks just to be able to receive medical or financial assistance from the government.

“Karon dali na lang kay atoa na man ning gitapok silang tanan aron dali ang proseso. Dili na kalas og plete (It’s faster now because we have made it all just one single process. It’s not a waste of fare),” said Go.

The Malasakit Center in Eversley has the government offices like the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).

“This is a campaign promise fulfilled. Akoa man gyud ning gisaad panahon sa kampanya nga atong e-institutionalized ang Malasakit Center ug atong paninguhaon nga maka open ta og ikaduhang Malasakit Center nga anhi gyud sa Mandaue,” said Cebu Sixth District Rep. Emmarie Ouano-Dizon, principal author of the bill at the Lower House that seeks to institutionalize the Malasakit Center.

Consolacion Mayor Joannes Alegado said that the Malasakit Center would be a big help for his constituents, as well as those living in northern Cebu as it is nearer to them than Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, which is located in Cebu City.

According to OPAV, with the imprimatur of the President, the center is now a major project, helping all patients in major public hospitals in the following areas: Tacloban, Iloilo, Puerto Princesa, Bacolod, Manila, Maasin, Dumaguete, Davao, Pampanga, Bohol, Butuan, Cagayan De Oro, Zamboanga, Bicol, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Bulacan, Batangas, Cabanatuan, General Santos, Tarlac, Dagupan, Navotas, Lucena, Surigao, Dapitan, Dipolog, Pasay, Northern Samar, Biliran, Western Samar, and Bataan.

Forty more centers are expected to be opened in the coming year, following the Joint Administrative Order (JAO) on Streamlining Access to Medical Assistance Funds of the Government.

Go also visited the fire victims of Barangays Luz, Duljo and Kasambagan in Cebu City. The victims were gathered at Mabolo Elementary School in the same city.

Go likewise visited the fire victims of Barangay Tabok and Centro in Mandaue City. The fire victims were gathered at Co Tiao King Gym in Barangay Tabok.

The fire victims received goods and financial assistance from the senator.  JMD (FREEMAN)