“Sa Bagong Pilipinas ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos Jr., ang serbisyo publiko ay mabilis, maayos, maginhawa, at masaya,” House Speaker Martin Romualdez said as he announced that organizers of the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) in Oriental Mindoro last weekend distributed around P1.2 billion worth of cash aid and programs to around 50,000 residents of the province.
Romualdez said the BPSF was conceived to help the poor and those who are having difficulty availing of the services of the government.
The BPSF in Oriental Mindoro, the very first in Mimaropa or Region IV-B, was the 13th installment of the serbisyo caravan, and hosted by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Arnan Panaligan together with Oriental Mindoro Gov. Humerlito Dolor.
It followed the one held in Sultan Kudarat, where 150,000 citizens were served and over P1.2 billion in government aid, services, and programs rolled out.
Afterthe BPSF in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro March 9-10, the service caravan is scheduled to go to Region XIII in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte this week, and then visit La Trinidad, Benguet in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Zamboanga City in Region IX, and Tawi-Tawi in BARMM.
Aside from Romualdez, who represented PBBM in the BPSF, organizers and local hosts of the fair, more than 20 members of the House of Representatives also joined the launch of the two-day service caravan.
The BPSF was envisioned as a one-stop-shop of all government services under one roof, such as LTO driver’s license renewal, PhilHealth registration, and applications for DFA passport, NBI clearance, police clearance, PSA birth certificate, Pag-IBIG membership and housing loan, SSS membership, and GSIS UMID, among many others.
For the Oriental Mindoro leg of the service caravan, 42 participating national government agencies started Sunday to dish out 265 services to 50,000 estimated beneficiaries in the province, a press release from the Office of Romualdez said.
A total of P1.2 billion worth of government assistance programs and services were granted to Oriental Mindoro residents, of which P278 million was cash assistance, including a DSWD province-wide payout in all 14 municipalities and one city, and expected to reach over 28,000 individual AICS beneficiaries, amounting to P62 million; and a DOLE payout for individuals affected by the oil spill caused by the sinking of the MT Princess Empress off the coasts of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, with 9,000 beneficiaries, amounting to P115 million.
Romualdez also said that Philmech distributed P145 million worth of agri-machineries to 52 farmers’ cooperatives and associations under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Mechanization Program created by the Rice Tariffication Law.
The BPSF’s opening program was held at the Oriental Mindoro National High School March 9, where 22 agencies conducted a ceremonial turnover of over 20 programs. ||
