Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair, a convergence of national government agencies’ distribution of equipment, financial assistance, scholarship programs, livelihood assistance, and payouts to priority sectors, has brought the government closer to the communities in Guimbal town in the province of Iloilo.
Mario Boglosa, President of Baras Farmers Association in Barotac Nuevo, conveyed his gratitude to the government for availing various equipment under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) mechanization component of the Department of Agriculture – Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization.
“Nagapasalamat gid ako sa Department of Agriculture nga naka-avail kami sang harvester kag transplanter. Daku gid ina nga bulig sa amon pangunguma kag barangay. Sa liwat nagapasalamat man ako ilabi na sa aton nga presidente nga nakakuha kami machinery sa amon nga pagpanguma, (I am grateful to the Department of Agriculture that we were able to avail of the harvester and the transplanter. This will be a big help to our farm and to our barangay. Again, thank you especially to our President that we were able to get these machineries for our farm.)” Boglosa expressed.
A total of P900 million worth of programs and services were brought to the province. Of the figure, P200 million was distributed as financial assistance.
With 51 participating national government agencies, over 160 services were offered to some 80,000 beneficiaries during the two-day fair, which started on December 9.
Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, who served as the keynote speaker, emphasized President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration’s brand of leadership to cascade government services to the grassroots level.
“Ang pangako ng Bagong Pilipinas ay isang pamahalaan na hindi naghihintay. Pamahalaan na kusang lumalapit sa mamamayan upang tugunan ang pangangailangan sa mas lalong madaling panahon,” Romualdez said.
“Sa serbisyo fair, nagsama sama ang iba’t ibang mga sangay ng pamahalaan upang maihatid at maipangako na mas mabilis at mas mahalagang impormasyon at serbisyo tungo sa ating sama-samang pag-unlad,” he added.
The BPSF offered social services from the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), National Food Authority (NFA), Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
Under livelihood and educational services, the following agencies offered services: Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA), DENR, OCD, and FDA.
In terms of regulatory functions, the BPSF extended services from the following government agencies: Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine National Police (PNP), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Bureau (LTFRB), Professional Regulations Commission (PRC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Other government services also include those from the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System, PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig, Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP).
Apart from the services, the BPSF also highlighted the administration’s flagship program, “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” which supports the agriculture industry to ensure food security at a reasonable price.
To note, the BPSF in Iloilo is the ninth leg of the event as it aims to cover all 83 provinces in the country. (PIA Iloilo)
