A total of 135,000 beneficiaries in Tawi-Tawi will receive almost PHP700 million in government services and financial aid during the two-day Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) in Tawi-Tawi from Thursday to Friday.

House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez led the BPSF opening in the very first service caravan in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), and the 18th installment in the entire country, at the Department of Education (DepEd) Culture and Sports Complex in the municipality of Bongao.

“Natutuwa kami at naabot ng pamahalaan ni Pangulong Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. ang lalawigan ng Tawi-Tawi dito sa BARMM. Wala pong mahirap puntahan kung tayo ay nagkakaisa, maging Mindanao man ito o isla sa BARMM (We are happy that the government of President Marcos has reached Tawi-Tawi province here in BARMM. No place is difficult to reach if we are united, whether in Mindanao or an island in BARMM),” Romualdez said.

“Mahal po ng ating Pangulo ang Mindanao, kaya naman sunod-sunod ang pagpunta ng BPSF dito. Pang-pito na ito sa mga lugar na napuntahan natin sa Mindanao, at meron pa tayong nakalinya sa Davao del Norte sa mga susunod na araw (Our President loves Mindanao, that’s why the BPSF continues to come here. This is the seventh area in Mindanao that we have visited, and Davao del Norte will follow in the coming days).”

The other areas serviced by the BPSF in Mindanao were Zamboanga City, Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, Davao de Oro, and Cagayan de Oro.

BPSF Tawi-Tawi has more than 40 participating national government agencies that will provide a total of 199 services. Of the PHP699 million worth of programs to be rolled out during the two-day event, PHP319 million will be in the form of cash assistance.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will conduct continuous payouts amounting to PHP319 million to 100,000 Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) beneficiaries across Tawi-Tawi.

Other city-wide activities include various scholarship programs of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), including livelihood assistance for various sectors of pre-identified eligible clients across the province of Tawi-Tawi.

“Naramdaman ng mga mamamayan ng Tawi-Tawi ang kalinga ng pamahalaan. Malayo man ang inyong lalawigan sa sentro ng gobyerno, aabutin kayo ng ating Pangulo (The people of Tawi-Tawi can feel the government’s concern. Even if your province is far from the center of government, the President will reach you). No geographical divide can stop the government from serving its people,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez is also scheduled to distribute a total of 222,100 kg. of rice to identified BPSF beneficiaries on Thursday afternoon.

On May 24, the BPSF in Tawi-Tawi will launch the Start-up, Incentives, Business Opportunity and Livelihood (SIBOL) Program, and the Integrated Scholarship and Incentives for the Youth (ISIP for the Youth) Program, which are both initiatives of the Speaker.

The SIBOL Program aims to encourage start-up businesses and serves as a dual solution for poverty alleviation and support during crises by providing individuals with sustainable opportunities that contribute to economic empowerment and resilience in challenging times.

A total of 5,000 beneficiaries in Tawi-Tawi will each receive PHP3,000 from the AICS program, as well as 7 kg. of rice each in a simple ceremony to be held at the DepEd Culture and Sports Complex.

ISIP for the Youth, meanwhile, seeks to assist deserving students facing financial challenges in pursuing quality education.

A total of 8,300 students in Tawi-Tawi will each receive PHP2,000 every six months through the AICS program to cover tuition and other expenses. They will also receive 7 kg. of rice each in a simple ceremony to be held at the Henry V. Kong Gymnasium, Mindanao State University, Sanga Sanga.

Identified student beneficiaries will also be enrolled under CHED’s Tulong Dunong Program where students can get scholarship/assistance per semester amounting to a total of PHP15,000, and they will also be given priority slots under the Government Internship Program after graduation. (PNA)