90,000 Surigao del Sur residents receive P560-M aid from gov’t

Speaker Romualdez leads BPSF in Tolosa, Leyte, part of nationwide launch by President Bongbong Marcos benefiting 400,000 Filipinos.

MANILA, Philippines — At least P560 million worth of government services and assistance were given to Surigao del Sur residents in the latest leg of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF).

In a statement on Friday, House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said the BPSF in Surigao del Sur, held mainly in Bislig town, benefitted 90,000 residents from different parts of the province.

According to Romualdez, 46 national government agencies participated in the event, with over 217 services being offered to the beneficiaries, in the two-day event that started on Thursday.

Of the P560 million given to Surigao del Sur, P244 million were in the form of cash assistance, including payouts being conducted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Around 64,000 individuals will receive aid worth P216 million through the DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation.

There will also be other activities like the provision of scholarships from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Commission on Higher Education.

“Masaya po tayo’t nakaulayaw natin ang mga Surigaonon sa ating BPSF sa Surigao del Sur para ipaalala sa kanila at iparamdam na ang gobyerno na ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos ang lumalapit sa kanila para magserbisyo, magpatupad ng iba’t-ibang programa at ilapit ang tulong sa mga nangangailangan,” Romualdez said.

(I’m happy to be with our Surigaonon for this BPSF in Surigao del Sur, to remind them and to make them feel that the government of President Bongbong Marcos really wants to get closer to them to deliver services, implement programs, and make assistance accessible to those who need it.)

“Ito ang sagot natin sa panawagan ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos Jr. na ilapit ang pamahalaan sa mga mamamayan. Ngayon, ang pamahalaan na ang lumalapit sa mamamayan at naglilingkod sa abot ng aming makakaya,” he added.

(This is our answer to President Bongbong Marcos Jr.’s call to bring the government closer to the people. Now, the government is the one moving closer to the public to serve to the best of our abilities.)

Romualdez also said that 95,000 kilograms of rice will be distributed to qualified beneficiaries in Surigao del Sur.

“Hindi na mawawala ang distribution ng bigas sa ating mga BPSF dahil naniniwala tayo na ang bigas ay buhay. Ginagawa ng inyong pamahalaan ang lahat para mapababa ang presyo ng bigas para sa ating mga pamilyang Pilipino,” he said.

(The distribution of rice during the BPSF will always be there because we believe that rice is life. The government is doing everything it can to lower the prices of rice for Filipino families.)

The BPSF in Surigao del Sur is the 20th edition, and the ninth in Mindanao. It also comes on the heels of the biggest BPSF in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, where services and aid amounting to P913 million were given.

For the Surigao del Sur BPSF, 77 House lawmakers including the host, Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel, accompanied Romualdez.

“Mahal ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. ang Mindanao, at ang patuloy na pagsasagawa ng BPSF sa mga lalawigan dito ay patunay na hindi maiiwan sa programa’t serbisyo ang ating mga kapatid na taga-Mindanao,” Romualdez said.

(President Marcos loves Mindanao, and the holding of the BPSF in provinces is being conducted to prove that our brothers and sisters from Mindanao would not be left behind.)

READ: Bagong Pilipinas caravan in Davao del Norte gives P913M aid, services 

Aside from Tagum, the previous BPSFs were held in Biliran, Davao de Oro, Ilocos Norte, Camarines Sur, Leyte, Laguna, Bukidnon, Isabela, Iloilo, Zambales, Cagayan de Oro, Siquijor, Sultan Kudarat, Oriental Mindoro, Agusan del Norte, Benguet, Zamboanga, and Tawi-tawi.

“This brings the BPSF in Mindanao to almost half of all the Service Caravans held throughout the country,” said House Deputy Secretary General Sofonias Gabonada Jr., who is part of the BPSF National Secretariat.