DOTR: No political flavor in Malasakit Help Desks project

Photo credit: Department of Transportation

MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Transportation (DOTr) clarified on Tuesday that its Malasakit Help Desks (MHD) project has nothing to do with politics.

DOTr said a verbal directive from the Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade in establishing the MHDs was issued last year.

The launching of the help desks, however, was moved to January 2019 to focus on extending assistance to Tropical Depression Amang victims in Central Visayas.

“While we cannot deter conjectures on the branding of Malasakit, the DOTr maintains that the establishment of MHDs has nothing to do with politics,” the DOTr Communications Office said in a statement sent in Viber.

The statement was immediately issued after the department was questioned over the supposed similarity of  MHD  to the Malasakit Centers associated with senatorial aspirant Christopher “Bong” Go.

DOTr’s MHDs will receive or handle inquiries and complaints, provide roadside assistance, facilitate the refund of terminal fees, and deliver emergency medical assistance.

Go’s Malasakit Centers, meanwhile, focuses on medical assistance for indigent patients nationwide.

The help desks of the DOTr were launched on Monday, or two days after the Commission on Elections released the partial list of senatorial candidates for the midterm elections.

Go is part of the 77 names included in the official list of Senate candidates.

He is running under the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte himself.

The DOTr maintained that it would not engage in “politicking this election season.”

“DOTr officials and employees will not engage in the volley of politicking this election season,” it said.

“We remain focused on the goal of delivering transport infrastructure and programs to the Filipino people as fast as possible and as well as we can,” it added. /gsg