A resident of Barangay 218 in Tondo, Manila, has expressed gratitude to the Malasakit Center in Santiago City, Isabela, and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go for assisting her family during a medical crisis involving her brother-in-law in late 2022.
Melissa Cruz Mercado, 58, recounted how her brother-in-law suffered a heart attack shortly after Christmas while staying in Santiago. He was brought to a nearby hospital, where he fell into a coma and remained confined in the intensive care unit (ICU) for nearly three months.
“Last December 2022, inatake ‘yung bayaw ko, dinala sa hospital. Sa Isabela po ito eh. Tapos na-coma po siya, na-ICU. Inabot po siya ng almost 3 months sa hospital,” she said.
Faced with mounting medical bills, the family turned to the Malasakit Center in the same hospital, which assisted them in covering the full cost of treatment.
“Pero sa tulong po ng Malasakit Center, wala po kaming binayarang kahit piso,” she emphasized. “Napakalaking bagay po, napakalaking tulong po sa pamilya namin.”
Malasakit Centers are one-stop shops aiming to support impoverished patients in reducing their hospital costs to the least possible amount. Senator Go, who is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and regarded as a health reforms crusader, is the principal author and sponsor of Republic Act No. 11463, or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019.
As of now, 167 Malasakit Centers are operational across the country, poised to assist with patients’ medical expenses. The Department of Health (DOH) reports that the Malasakit Center program has already provided aid to more than 17 million Filipinos.
Although her brother-in-law did not survive, Melissa expressed profound gratitude for the assistance their family received, which spared them from what could have been insurmountable debt. She shared how she immediately told her brother-in-law’s partner to approach the Malasakit Center, confident that help would be extended.
“Although namatay ‘yung bayaw ko, kasi talagang tinapat kami ng doktor na wala na talaga. Pero ‘yung tulong, napakalaking tulong po sa amin kasi hindi po namin alam po saan namin kukunin ‘yung pera na ‘yun,” she said.
Melissa said many others in their neighborhood had also benefited from the same program. “Alam po namin lahat na marami na po kasing experience dun sa lugar namin na natulungan ng Malasakit Center,” she explained.
“Senator Bong Go, maraming, maraming salamat po sa tulong ng Malasakit Center. Ito po tulong talaga para sa mga Pilipino, hindi lang po sa amin, sa buong Pilipinas po. Sana po marami pa po kayong matulungan.”
Go, staying consistent with how he often responds to expressions of gratitude, reminded the public that serving them is a privilege: “Huwag po kayong magpasalamat sa akin. Ako po ang dapat magpasalamat sa inyo dahil binigyan niyo po ako ng pagkakataon na makapagserbisyo po sa inyo. Maraming maraming salamat po.”
During his proclamation as a re-elected senator on May 17, Go reiterated his health agenda, vowing to continue pushing for programs that directly benefit the Filipino people.
“For my second term, with all sincerity, I will continue to push for pro-poor programs and laws, especially on health. Health is wealth. We must collaborate to bring quality medical services closer to our people, particularly the poor and indigent patients. Ang kalusugan ay katumbas ng buhay ng bawat Pilipino,” he declared.