Grateful conjoined twins pay Go a visit

THANK YOU. The Senator with the erstwhile co-joined twins and their mother from Vinzons, Camarines Norte. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA --- Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go checked on the condition of the conjoined twins that he helped undergo separation surgery early this year when their parents brought them to the Senator’s office on Monday, September 9.

The Senator, who also acted as a sponsor to the twins in their baptism, said he is happy to see that Divine and Mercy are in good health.

The one-year-old twins were born in Barangay Sabang, Vinzons, Camarines Norte, and were connected through their chest.

Their parents, Rubelyn Guinto and Edmund Cerilo, first brought them to Go in Manila on January 20. Go referred the twins to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) where they were admitted the day after.

Go said in an interview then that the condition of Divine and Mercy touched his heart.

“Nakakaawa naman talaga ‘yung mga bata kaya sinabi ko doon sa mga magulang na tutulong ako sa kanila para doon sa operasyon. May mga supporters tayo na naniniwala sa adbokasiya natin at willing tumulong.”

He asked donors from the private sector to shoulder the expenses for the operation. He also assisted the parents in renting a room in Sta. Cruz, Manila where they stayed while waiting for their babies to be admitted to the hospital.

On January 31, surgeons at PGH announced that the surgery had been successful.

Go met with the twins again in Manila on March 13 and agreed to be a godfather in their baptism on March 16 in Daet, Camarines Norte.

The Senator has been active in helping children with serious illnesses by serving as a bridge to government agencies and by raising funds with the help of the private sector. He has also been assisting children afflicted with biliary atresia to undergo liver transplant in India.

Last year, Go spent Christmas and his birthday at the Philippine Children’s Medical Center (PCMC) in Diliman, Quezon City, in the company of cancer patients who received gifts and toys from him.

In the Senate, where he is the chair of the Committee on Health, Go has filed several health-related bills. One of which is the Senate Bill No. 199 which seeks to institutionalize nationwide the Malasakit Center, a one-stop shop for financial assistance from various government agencies.

During his last State of the Nation Address, President Rodrigo Duterte credited Go for the idea of the Malasakit Center, which now number more than 40 in different parts of the country.