SEN. Bong Go extended assistance to families affected by a fire in Malate, Manila, through his Malasakit Team on Monday. In coordination with local officials, the senator’s team conducted a relief operation inside the Barangay 705 Covered Court, where 75 displaced families received financial aid, grocery packs, vitamins, shirts, snacks, water containers, electric fans, and basketballs and volleyballs. In a message delivered during the activity, Go emphasized the importance of preserving life and upholding the Filipino spirit of bayanihan during times of crisis. “It is heartbreaking to lose your home to fire, but what matters most is that we are alive,” Go said. “Material things can be replaced and money can be earned again, but a life lost is lost forever.” The senator also urged national and local governments to prioritize the construction of disaster-resilient evacuation centers as mandated by Republic Act 12076, or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, which he principally authored and co-sponsored. “I call on my fellow public servants to give priority to evacuation centers since it is already a law. Let’s not waste funds on flood control projects that become sources of corruption,” Go added. He renewed his call for the passage of Senate Bill 415, or the proposed Rental Housing Subsidy Program, which seeks to provide rental assistance to families displaced by calamities as they transition to permanent housing. “Let us remember, we only pass through this world once. Whatever good or help we can extend to others, let us do it now because we will not pass this way again,” he said. FRANCO JOSE C. BAROÑA