MANILA, Philippines — Around 253,000 beneficiaries in Eastern Visayas received assistance — in the form of cash aid and livelihood equipment — during the biggest-ever Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) in Tacloban on Friday, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said.
Romualdez, who led the BPSF in Tacloban City, said that P1.26 billion in cash aid, government services, and other forms of assistance were distributed to the beneficiaries.
The BPSF coincided with the program’s first anniversary.
“We are so proud of the program created by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. because we have reached so many of our fellow Filipinos in far-flung provinces. This is really the essence of our president’s Bagong Pilipinas campaign — to bring government services to the people,” Romualdez said in his speech in Filipino.
“And I believe we were able to do and will continue to do what the president wants. We will bring the mega Serbisyo Fair to the whole country. We will visit all provinces and the big cities to bring assistance closer to the people,” he added.
Romualdez also echoed the sentiments of his colleagues, calling the BPSF an opportunity for the House of Representatives to check if funds were being used properly, especially since Congress would start deliberating on the P6.352 trillion proposed 2025 budget.
“Last Monday. we received the NEP, the [National] Expenditures Program. This is the budget of our beloved president for 2025. That’s why we are here. I also want to see if this program is good,” Romualdez said.
This is the first time the BPSF grew — from holding fairs in one province at a time to holding simultaneous regional programs.
On Thursday, House Deputy Secretary General Sofonias Gabonada Jr. — who also head the BPSF National Secretariat — said that other mini-fairs would be held simultaneously in other Eastern Visayas provinces.
The BPSF in Tacloban was also deemed the largest for having the most number of government officials who attended, with 241 members of the House present, along with Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla.
Meanwhile, Gabonada said that 56 national government agencies were present at the BPSF, with over 328 services offered to the beneficiaries across Eastern Visayas.
According to the House official, P807 million of the P1.26 billion programs brought to the region were in cash assistance.
Gabonada said the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Labor and Employment have been conducting cash aid payouts, with over 140,000 individuals expected to benefit.
There are also other programs from the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), including livelihood assistance and opportunities for various sectors of eligible clients across Eastern Visayas.