Speaker leads Bukidnon Service Fair

Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez led government officials in rolling out the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) in Bukidnon, where P379 million in cash assistance and government services were provided to an estimated 110,000 citizens of the province.

The BPSF in Bukidnon – the seventh province so far to enjoy the full-service caravans of some 58 government agencies implementing 176 different programs and services – is expected to have the largest-served beneficiary base so far in the program.

Romualdez, one of the principal organizers of the BPSF, thanked all the participating agencies and wished for the success of the ongoing caravan in Bukidnon.

“Bukidnon is lucky because this is one of the selected places to host our government’s newest program—the Bagong Pilipinas Service Fair.

There are some provinces that have already experienced the comfort brought by our Service Fair but I can say that Bukidnon is one of the most beneficiaries that attended,” he said at the Bukidnon State University in Malaybalay.

“Thank you very much for coming today. We are also grateful to all government officials and agencies that participated today in bringing services to our people,” he added.

Romualdez came on behalf of President Marcos, whose challenge to bring government services to the people is the founding principle behind the BPSF.

“For everyone’s information, we thought of launching this project in response to the challenge of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. to speed up the delivery of government services to every Filipino,” the lawmaker from Leyte said.

“The Office of the Speaker is involved in this project with the entire membership of the House of Representatives along with all government departments and agencies,” he continued.

Bukidnon Rep. Jonathan Keith Flores served as the local host for the event, along with the crucial support of the provincial government of Bukidnon through Gov. Neil Roque, in collaboration with the province’s representatives, Reps. Jose Manuel F. Alba, Jose Maria R. Zubiri Jr. and Laarni Lavin Roque.

Also present were Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Lordan Suan, Davao de Oro Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora, Davao del Norte Rep. Alan Dujali, and Davao Oriental Reps. Nelson Dayanghirang and Cheeno Almario.

Among the services offered is a province-wide payout in all 22 LGUs of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) under the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which is expected to reach over 53,000 individuals amounting to P105 million in cash aid.

Other cash assistance programs include the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged /Displaced Workers (TUPAD) implemented by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which will oversee payouts in 4th to 6th-class municipalities in Bukdinon.

“As leaders of Congress, we know that many of you are struggling to get the services your families need. At the Bagong Pilipinas Servisyo Fair, our goal is to not only facilitate but also expand your access to all government services,” Romualdez said.

“In every place where the Service Fair goes, you can expect to receive help, information, and guidance on all the problems you face related to health, education, employment, and many others,” he stated.

The BPSF had been pilot-tested in Biliran and was simultaneously launched in Ilocos Norte, Camarines Sur, Leyte, and Davao de Oro in September. Before Bukidnon, the last stop of the BPSF was in Laguna.

Romualdez said they hope to visit all 82 provinces for the caravan, reaching a total of 2 million beneficiaries.

The beneficiaries in these provinces will have easy access to government projects and programs in the areas of social services; health and medical support; livelihood and educational assistance; services in regulatory functions; and other bureaucratic services aimed to capacitate and benefit them.

On the first night of the BPSF in Bukidnon, a Pasasalamat Concert was expected to draw a crowd of 10,000 people at the Provincial Capitol Grounds with free admission.

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