22nd Serbisyo Fair: P563-M worth of gov’t aid for 60K Batangueños

MANILA: The Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF), the country's biggest service and convergence caravan, on Saturday rolled out a total of PHP563 million worth of government services and financial aid for over 60,000 in the province of Batangas. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, also a former Batangas representatives, served as the local host for the BPSF in Lipa City that will continue until Sunday. The BPSF Batangas features 50 participating agencies with over 200 services. During the two-day festival of services, a total of PHP563 million worth of programs will be distributed, with PHP265 million in the form of cash assistance projects. The Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Labor and Employment conducted payouts for 34,000 beneficiaries across the province. The BPSF first went to the Calabarzon Region in Sta. Cruz, Laguna in November 2023. The service caravan in Batangas is the 22nd installment of the BPSF, which aims to reach all 82 provinces nationwide. In only a yea r since its launch, more than PHP10 billion worth of assistance were already provided to 2.5 million families in 21 BPSFs. 'Natutuwa tayo sa pagbabalik natin sa BPSF mula sa pahayag ng mas pinatinding interes ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sa service caravan na nagbigay ng ibayong motivation sa ating organizers (We are happy with the return of the BPSF following an intensified interest from President Marcos on the service caravan, which boosted the motivation of our organizers),' House Speaker Martin Romualdez said during the opening program held at Aboitiz Pitch-Lima Park. 'Kailangan nang itayo ang mga serbisyo at tulong center sa bawat lalawigan sa Pilipinas. Serbisyo ng gobyerno, direkta na sa tao. Ito ang pangako ni Pangulong Marcos sa ating mga kababayan (We need to establish service and assistance centers in every province of the Philippines. Government services, direct to the people. That's the promise of President Marcos to our countrymen),' he added. He said the BPSF is the embodiment of a conv ergence mechanism for a whole-of-government and a whole-of-nation approach to nation-building, carrying out the commitment of President Marcos that no Filipino is left behind. Source: Philippines News agency