Screengrab from Speaker Martin Romualdez’s official Facebook page.
MANILA, Philippines — At least 7,000 residents in Agusan del Norte — students, farmers, and small business owners — were given assistance during the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) on Friday, House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said.
Romualdez in a statement said that the 7,000 residents of the province received cash aid and other forms of assistance through the program that he created, under the instruction of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
According to the Speaker, the following modes of assistance were distributed in the BPSF:
- Farmers Assistance for Recovery and Modernization (FARM)
- Integrated Scholarships and Incentives Program (ISIP) for the Youth
- Start-up, Investment, Business Opportunity and Livelihood (SIBOL)
“Una sa lahat, maraming salamat po sa lahat sa inyong pakikiisa sa layunin ng pamahalaang Marcos na mapanatiling abot-kamay ng ating mamamayan ang bigas at iba pang mga pangunahing bilihin. Malayo po ang mararating ng inyong pakikibahagi ngayon,” Romualdez said.
(First of all, thank you for supporting the goal of the Marcos administration to make rice and other basic goods affordable to our people. Your participation will go a long way.)
“Base sa mga pag-aaral, mas bumibilis ang pagtaas ng presyo ng bilihin kapag tumataas ng presyo ng bigas. Ang paglahok ninyo sa programang FARM ay isa pang patunay na ang Pilipino nga ang pag-asa ng Bagong Pilipinas, ang adhikaing isinusulong ng ating mahal na Pangulong Bongbong Marcos Jr.,” he added.
(Based on studies, prices of goods accelerate when the price of rice increases. Your participation in FARM is proof that Filipinos are the true hope of a new Philippines, the aspiration pushed by our beloved President Bongbong Marcos Jr.)
Aside from the said programs, Romualdez said the 2,000 FARM beneficiaries also received P2,000 worth of financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) and 5 kilograms of rice each in the ceremony at Butuan City.
Romualdez was accompanied by Senator Bong Revilla, Agusan Del Norte Rep. Jose Aquino, and 60 other House members.
Addressing NFA woes
Aside from helping the farmers cope with rising expenses, Romualdez said that the assistance would also address issues faced by the National Food Authority (NFA) in terms of its buffer stock.
According to the House leader, the NFA can increase its reserve rice grains through deals with farmer-beneficiaries, who are encouraged to sell at least 100 kilos of their rice harvest to the NFA.
“Binuo natin ang programang ito para masuklian ang inyong kabayanihan, sa pamamagitan ng pagbigay ng tulong-pinansyal na maaari po ninyong magamit para maging mas masagana ang inyong ani sa mga susunod na taon,” he said.
(We built this program so that we can repay your heroism, by giving you financial aid which you can use to generate a better yield for the next year.)
Furthermore, Romualdez said that DSWD, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) were also present in the BPSF for the ISIP for the Youth program.
At least 3,000 qualified beneficiaries from Agusan del Norte received P2,000 in financial assistance every six months through the DSWD AICS program, to cover tuition and other expenses.
ISIP for the Youth program beneficiaries also received five kilograms of rice.
Identified student beneficiaries will also be enrolled under CHED’s Tulong Dunong Program (TDP) in which they can get scholarship assistance per year amounting to a total of P15,000 and assured slots under the Government Internship Program (GIP) after graduation.
“Binuo po ang ISIP Program bilang tugon sa hinaing ng mga nagsusumikap na kabataan na makapagtapos ng pag-aaral sa kabila ng kakapusan. Bukas po ang programang ito sa mga estudyante ng kolehiyo, sa mga mag-aaral ng Alternative Learning System at sa inyo na kumukuha ng technical-vocational skills training,” he said.
(The ISIP Program was conceived as a response to pleas by hard-working young people that they be allowed to finish school despite financial shortcomings. This program is open to college students, those in Alternative Learning Systems, and you getting technical-vocational skills training.)
“Kaiba po ang programang ito sa mga ibang scholarship programs, dahil hindi lang ang mag-aaral ang mabibigyan ng tulong. Alam po namin na may mahalagang papel ang magulang sa pag-aaral ng kanilang mga anak. Kaya po kasama din sila sa puwedeng mabigyan ng ayuda sa ilalim ng programa,” he added.
(This is different from other scholarship programs, because not only students do get help. We know that parents play an important role for their children. That’s why they can also be given assistance under the program.)
In the SIBOL Program, each of the 2,000 beneficiaries got P5,000 worth of financial assistance under DSWD’s AICS.
“Bawat isa sa atin, nag-aambag para makamit ang magandang kinabukasan. Kaya nga’t binuo natin itong programang SIBOL, bilang pagkilala at pagsuporta sa angking galing ng Pilipino na magtaguyod ng kabuhayan, hindi lang para sa sarili, kundi para sa ikalalago ng ating komunidad,” Romualdez said.
(Each one contributes to a better future. That’s why we built this SIBOL as an acknowledgment of the Filipinos’ sheer ability to build their livelihood not for themselves, but for the whole community’s benefit.)
“Ang hiling lang namin na sa inyong paglago, kayo din ay maging daan upang ang inyong mga kababayan ay mabigyan ng tulong. Kami naman po sa Kamara de Representante, sampu ng ating mga kasama sa Ehekutibo, ay hindi titigil sa pagi-isip at pagpapatupad ng mga programang tutugon sa inyong pangangailangan tungo sa inyong pag-unlad,” he added.
(All we want is your success because you will be the way for your fellow community members to get help. We in the House of Representatives, including our colleagues in the Executive, will not stop creating and implementing programs that will address your needs for progress.) —With reports from Ana Mae Malate, INQUIRER.net trainee