P1.26B govt services, cash aid granted to 253K beneficiaries as Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair turns 1 year

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, assisted by Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, Leyte Gov. Jericho “Icot” Petilla and Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez, leads the formal opening of the premier service program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the mega Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) at the Leyte Provincial Sports Complex Grandstand in Tacloban City on Friday morning (Aug. 2, 2024). The program delivered to the doorstep of the people services and assistance packages of various government agencies. Present during the event are 241 districts and party-list House members led by Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio “Dong” Gonzales Jr., Majority Leader Manuel,  Jose “Mannix” Dalipe, Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan and other local government officials of the province.

AS the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. celebrates its first anniversary this month, it visited Eastern Visayas to roll out a total of P1.26 billion worth of “mega” government services and financial aid to 253,000 beneficiaries — the largest so far in the history of the service caravan.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the main proponent of the BPSF, is very pleased with what the government program has accomplished so far, considering that the Serbisyo Caravan in Tacloban City on Friday that will end this Saturday is the 21st of such kind in the country since it began last year.

He bared that this BPSF was region-wide — another milestone for the program — with the main Serbisyo Fair being held in Tacloban and there are mini-BPSFs that were simultaneously held in Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Southern Leyte and Biliran.

“Sobrang proud na proud kami sa programang ito ni Pangulong Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. dahil napakarami nating naabot na kababayan natin sa malalayong probinsya. Ito naman talaga ang esensya ng Bagong Pilipinas campaign ng ating Pangulo, ang ilapit ang serbisyo ng gobyerno sa mga tao,” Speaker Romualdez, a lawyer from University of the Philippines (UP), expressed.

“At ako’y naniniwala na natupad natin at patuloy na matutupad ang ninanais na ito ng ating Pangulo. Dadalhin natin ang mega Serbisyo Fair na ito sa buong bansa. Bibisitahin natin ang lahat ng probinsiya’t mga malalaking siyudad at ilalapit natin ang tulong sa taumbayan,” Speaker Romualdez, the leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives added.

The BPSF in Tacloban was also the largest in terms of the number of government officials who attended — a total of 241 members of the House of Representatives, 12 governors, three vice governors, nine mayors and 16 officials from the Executive Department.

The opening program for the BPSF in Tacloban City was held at the Leyte Sports Development Center Grandstand where thousands of people witnessed the opening of the Serbisyo Caravan.

“So this really is a BPSF for Eastern Visayas. Para na rin itong Thanksgiving celebrations natin kasi naka-isang taon tayong naghahatid ng direktang serbisyo at ayuda para sa ating mga kababayan sa malalayong lugar. Tunay na pinagpala ng Diyos ang ating BPSF dahil sa tagumpay nito,” Speaker Romualdez said.

“At dalangin natin ay mapuntahan ng BPSF ang lahat ng 82 na lalawigan ng Pilipinas, para lahat ay nakaranas kung paano inilapit ng administrasyon ni PBBM ang serbisyo publiko sa lahat ng tao,” he continued.

According to House Deputy Secretary General Sofonias “Ponyong” P. Gabonada, one of the top officials of the BPSF, a total of 56 national government agencies participated in the region-wide service caravan with over 328 services offered to more than 253,000 beneficiaries in all of the provinces in Eastern Visayas.

He said that a total of P1.26 billion worth of programs and services were rolled out to Eastern Visayas residents, P807 million of which were in the form of cash assistance.

Gabonada said the Departments of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Labor and Employment (DOLE) “have conducted and will continue to conduct cash aid payouts across Region VIII, which is expected to reach over 140,000 individuals.”

Other region-wide activities include various scholarship programs of Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), including livelihood assistance and opportunities for various sectors of pre-identified eligible clients across Eastern Visayas.

“Thank you to everyone who has made the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair a success. Your dedication and hard work are the driving force behind this initiative. Together, we will continue to build a brighter future for all Filipinos,” said Speaker Romualdez.

A Pagkakaisa Concert, expected to draw a large crowd of 50,000 spectators, is scheduled Friday night at the RTR Plaza in Tacloban City with free admission.