Former special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go pushed for rural development to decongest the metropolis, as he visited fire victims in Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City and gave them assistance on Monday night.
Go committed to provide students affected by the fire with school supplies and uniforms. He also offered uniforms for the employees as well as some construction materials from his supporters to help the victims build temporary shelters.
“I will ask the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) to come here and see how they can help,” he said.
Go, who is running for a Senate seat in the 2019 polls, lamented that congestion in the metropolis, particularly in poor areas with houses built of light materials, is one of the causes of frequent fire outbreaks in Metro Manila.
He believes the solution to this is fair distribution of infrastructure projects in all areas of the country that will spur inclusive development.
Go was asked to comment on the controversy over the alleged insertions of some lawmakers in the proposed 2019 national budget that triggered a word war between the House of Representatives and the Senate.
He said that President Rodrigo Duterte respects the prerogative of lawmakers to allocate government funds as long as these are divided fairly among all the regions.
Go said that countryside development would gain further momentum through a shift to a federal form of government that President Duterte is pushing for since each state would have greater control over their own resources.
He stressed though that there should be a more active education campaign to inform the people about the benefits of federalism.
Once development spreads to the province, Go said it would provide more employment and business opportunities in the countryside. He also encouraged some of the fire victims to go back to their provinces and start their lives anew.
Go also said those who need medical assistance could go to Malasakit Centers that cater to all Filipinos especially the poor who cannot afford to avail themselves of medical treatment and medicines. The centre is a one-stop shop programme of President Duterte that Go helped establish during his stint as assistant to the president. The Malasakit Center houses concerned government offices to hasten the delivery of medical and financial assistance particularly for poor patients. Go wants to institutionalise the establishment of Malasakit Centers in all the provinces and urban centres of the country through an appropriate law.
As a staunch supporter of the president’s anti-drug war, Go also urged the fire victims and nearby residents to stay away from illegal drugs. After the visit to fire victims, he joined tricycle drivers in a boodle fight and took the opportunity to remind them about the government’s war against illegal drugs, corruption, and criminality.
Former special assistant to the president Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go greets one of the fire victims in Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City.
