SPEAKER Martin Romualdez yesterday led the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) in Benguet, rolling out P412 million in cash aid and government services to some 80,000 beneficiaries in the province.
In total, the BPSF distributed P261 million in cash aid and P151 million in in-kind assistance, which includes P110 million in social services, P10 million in health services, P50 million in agricultural services, P180 million in livelihood services, P35 million in educational assistance, P25 million in other government services, and P1 million in regulatory services.
At least 70 national government agencies participated in the service caravan, delivering over 326 services directly to the people of Benguet as part of President Marcos Jr.’s vow to bring the government closer to the Filipino people.
The BPSF in Benguet, which will be held until today, is the first in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) Region and is the 15th installment of the service caravan that aims to cover all 82 provinces nationwide.
“Ang mensahe po na pinaabot namin sa inyo ngayong araw: kahit bundok po aakyatin, para masigurado na wala pong maiiwan sa pagtataguyod natin ng Bagong Pilipinas (The message we want to impart to you today: We’ll climb mountains to ensure that no one will be left behind in our efforts to usher in a New Philippines),” said Romualdez, one of the major proponents of the BPSF.
Benguet Rep. Eric Yap served as the local host of the event with the support of Benguet Gov. Melchor Diclas.
The BPSF in Benguet was attended by 63 members of the House of Representatives, the highest recorded attendance of lawmakers in the service caravan, beating the Agusan del Norte even, which drew the attendance of 62 solons.
Among the services offered by BPSF is a province-wide payout of P100 million in financial aid under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS), a program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), to an estimated 50,000 residents from the 13 municipalities and one city of Benguet.
Other activities include various scholarship programs from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED, and livelihood assistance to pre-identified eligible residents from various sectors.