NABUA, CAMARINES SUR (PIA) – Camarines Sur secured the top post in terms of registered beneficiaries following the 2-day nationwide and simultaneous launch of Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) held at the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges (CSPC) campus over the weekend. 

Among the provinces where the launch took place, Camarines Sur emerged with the largest share of clients, boasting 107,967 Camarinenses who registered through the BPSF online portal.

It was followed closely by Ilocos Norte, with a total of 91,594 registered beneficiaries. Davao De Oro came in third with 76,348 beneficiaries, and Leyte followed with 59,002 registered individuals. These numbers combined resulted in a grand total of 334,911 benefited individuals across the four provinces.

Out of the 29 service providers who took part in the BPSF, 75 programs and services, which include social services, livelihood, regulatory functions, and educational programs were provided to the residents of Camarines Sur.

In a press conference, Camarines Sur 5th District Representative Congressman Miguel ‘Migz’ Villafuerte expressed his gratitude and appreciation to President Ferdinand ‘BongBong’ Marcos for choosing Camarines Sur as the specific location for his engagement, especially considering the other three available areas as an option.

“Ramdam natin ang pagmamahal niya sa ating province - every time may bagyo, may kalamidad, tumutulong; kahit hindi pa sya nakaupo sa gobyerno. Ngayon naman, regular ang visit sa ating probinsya. A couple of months ago he was here, to give services sa ating mga kababayan. Ngayon handpicked nya mismo ang Rinconada area, bayan ng Nabua, Iriga , kaya naman talagang nakakataba ng puso. Ibang klase pag president mismo ang personal na nag a- appear sa mga lugar ,” the legislator said.

Congressman Villafuerte also lauded the ‘grassroots’ approach of PBBM, noting that it is creating a deeper impact on the poorest of the poor and on the marginalized sector.

“Napakaganda ng mga programa ni Pangulong BBM dahil sa maganda, matalino, epektibo, episyenteng paggamit ng pondo ng gobyerno.  Dyan ako bilib dahil he’s always been here, [we have a budget] trillions every year sa Pilipinas. Kay PBBM, nagagamit sa tama, nararamdaman, from the lowest to the poorest of the poor and of course, ngayon dito sa Cam Sur, ang daming natulungan. Ako mismo bilib sa grassroors approach ni PBBM at masasabi ko na sana all na tulad po nya na grassroots ang approach,” Villafuerte added.

Partner agencies achieve a high rate of served beneficiaries

Participating agencies with similar types of services were clustered to streamline the assistance provided to their respective service recipients.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) led other agencies in offering various social services to various clients who lined up at the site as early as 4 AM.

Other government services that offer the same assistance include the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), National Food Authority (NFA), and the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).

Clustered under livelihood and educational services were the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Department of Science and Technology (DOST). 

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Skills and Development Authority (TESDA), DENR, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are also part of the said cluster.

The Department of Foreign Affairs, Philippine National Police (PNP), Land Transportation Office (LTO), Professional Regulations Commission (PRC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) were grouped as offices with regulatory functions.

Other government agencies like the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), PhilHealth, Pag-Ibig, and the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) also joined in the weekend Serbisyo Fair.

Social Services

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in close collaboration with the provincial government of Camarines Sur, was able to serve 6,132 clients with an equivalent of Php 12,264,000.00 cash assistance under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program. 

Students in crisis situations and economically disadvantaged fisherfolks from different municipalities in the province were granted Php 2,000 each under the AICS Educational Assistance and Cash Relief Aid.

The AICS initiative is part of the Crisis Intervention Section (CIS) of DSWD which serves as a forefront service of the agency dedicated to social protection. It strives to enhance and elevate the quality of life of every Filipino, particularly in the socially disadvantaged sectors.

PBBM also led the turnover of 5 units of hauling trucks worth P9.3M; 5 units of 4-wheel Drive tractors worth P15.2M; and 1 unit of lifting machine worth P2.4M. The president also entrusted five packages of Community Based Swine Production (INSPIRE) for Cam. Sur worth P50M and three packages for Albay worth P30M. These were given to eight farmers' associations.

After addressing various heads of government agencies and beneficiaries at the CSPC Gymnasium, the president visited the Kadiwa site outside of the venue and proceeded to the University of Saint Anthony (USANT) in Iriga City to personally hand over 25 kilos of rice worth 2.5 kilos to 2,000 indigent families.

DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo F. Panganiban and DA Bicol Regional Executive Director Rodel Tornilla also led the distribution of hybrid rice seeds and urea fertilizer from China to 3,155 farmers at Nabua National High School and gave fertilizer subsidies through discount vouchers amounting to P1.5M to 684 farmers.

In a press statement, DA also conveyed that PBBM awarded three P300,000-worth checks as financial grant assistance to three regional winners of the Young Farmers Challenge (YFC) and P1,120,000 financial grant to 14 YFC – Upscale regional qualifiers.

“Some 68 exhibitors who participated in the Kadiwa ng Pangulo generated a total of  P1,575,539.48 sales during the 2-day caravan. P325,927 worth of agri products were bought by Rep. Migz Villafuerte which were given to the service providers’ personnel as an incentive during the closing of the caravan on Sunday. The DA Bicol banner programs and its attached agencies turned over P568 M worth of interventions to 10,345 Bicolanos during the 2-day serbisyo fair,” DA PIO Lovella Guarin remarked.

Livelihood and Educational Services

Over Php8 million pesos worth of salaries for Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) was released by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to 2, 122 beneficiaries coming from the 3rd, 4th, and 5th districts of Camarines Sur after the 2-day BPSF. 

President Marcos and DOLE Secretary Bienvenido E. Laguesma led the disbursement of the partial amount equivalent to the 5-day work of TUPAD beneficiaries. The second tranche will be released anytime next week to complete the 10-day work program administered by the said department.

Aside from the cash assistance, TUPAD beneficiaries also received Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), GSIS insurance, and other services.  

FDA staff conducted training on licensing, registration, and current good manufacturing practices for food business operators.

DTI offered its programs on Pangkabuhayan sa Pagbangon ay Ginhawa, Rise Up with SB Corp, Business Name Registration System (BNRS), Negosyo Center, Barangay Micro Enterprise (BMBE), Diskwento Caravan and One Town-One Product (OTOP) fairs.

“We extend our gratitude to the 1,015 individuals we had the privilege of serving during the 2-day BPSF event and to approximately 2,000 prospective buyers who dropped by our booths. These buyers not only made purchases from our exhibitors but also expressed interest in learning about the diverse programs offered by our office,” DTI Camarines Sur Provincial Director Jay Ablan said.

DTI generated a total of Php 422,029 sales.

Regulatory services

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) also offered various services during the 2-day BPSF: Theoretical Driving Course which was attended by 1,371 clients; issuance of student permits with 616 clients served; issuance of driver’s license (renewal) with 616 served clients and renewed car registration of 52 customers.  LTO was able to serve a total of 2,101 clients. 

Membership services

PhilHealth enrolled over 1,000 clients under their programs; 454 registered as new members while 467 signed up under their Konsulta Package.

The DICT provided internet connectivity to 1,128 clients and 34 agencies. Its personnel also conducted orientation to 116 clients regarding cybersecurity, the E Gov PH app, and other DICT programs and services. All in all, they reported a total of 1,258 clients served on Sunday, Sept. 24.

Words of gratitude, call for unity

Congressman Miguel Villafuerte said that the conduct of the BPSF in Camarines Sur underscores the genuine commitment of the current administration to provide everything possible for the well-being of Camarinenses.  

“Ayon po sa initial report ng Office of the President, halos 1.3M worth of funds, assistance and help ang dumating sa province. Halos 200,000 beneficiaries at residents ang mabibigyan ng tulong, yong mga poorest of the poor, mga nangangailangan ng financial assistance, schools, fishermen na hindi makalabas dahil napakalakas ng [alon sa] dagat, lahat natulungan ng kanyang programa,” the legislator stressed.

Villafuerte also thanked his team, the provincial government of Camarines Sur, the service providers, all the agencies that made the event possible, and most especially the BPSF national secretariat, which is comprised of the Office of the President, the Office of the Speaker, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), and the House of Representatives.

He then voiced his call for unity. 

“Gusto lang po natin na sabihin sa lahat, tapos na ang election, let us unite. Let us be one dahil ang tagumpay ng pangulo, tagumpay ng bawat Pilipino, lalong lalo na ng mga BIkolano. Again saludo ako kay PBBM,” he said in closing. (PIA5/ Camarines Sur)  

Cover photo credits: EMimay