Some 32 family beneficiaries of the Balik Probinsya Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) in Prosperidad town, Agusan del Sur province received Php50,000 each as Livelihood Settlement Grant (LSG) recently.
The BP2 is implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS). The said program is a strategy of the government that seeks to decongest the National Capital Region (NCR) and highly urbanized areas by allowing residents from these areas to go back to their provincial residence to start a new life.
The same 32 families already received transitory family support package each, ranging from Php25,000 to Php50,000, depending on the number of family members and assessment of social workers. Transitory family support package is a provision that will cover the food and non-food items needed while the family is in the transition phase.
“Naa pay mo-abot sa inyoha; kay tungod sa inyoha, mga recipients sa Balik Probinsya, nahatagan ang munisipyo sa Prosperidad og Php7.5 million community grant,” KALAHI-CIDSS Caraga Regional Program Coordinator Bennette Dave C. Calo said, during the distribution of LSG recently. “Hopefully, mo-participate gyud gihapon mo sa mga aktibidades [sa KALAHI-CIDSS].”
Prosperidad Mayor Frederick Mark P. Mellana, who witnessed the LSG distribution to BP2 beneficiaries, thanked the Department and urged the beneficiaries to spend their money wisely.
“Congratulations sa inyong tanan. I hope inyong gamiton sa insakto ni inyong Php50 mil. I-negosyo ninyo og maayo. Php50,000 nowadays is very big amount. Grabe gyud kaayo ang blessings,” Mayor Mellana told the BP2 beneficiaries.
BP2 beneficiary Ernesto P. Brital, who sells mobile phones and accessories in Divisoria Market in Metro Manila, recounted how his business and their income flourshed and how it was closed due to clearing operations in 2019 and eventaully by the COVID-19 pandemic that hit the country in 2020.
“[Sa wala pa ang pandemic] naka benipisyo gyud mi adtong panahona. Maayo among income. Nakapag aral kos akong mga anak ug ma-afford nako ilang pang gastos. Apan pag-abot adtong 2019, nag clearing operations, nawala ang mga vendors. Mao toy pagbagsak sa among panginabuhian. Nisunod na pud ang 2020, ni-abot na pud kining pandemic. Didto nawala na gyud mi’g pag-asa nga mabuhi pa sa Metro Manila,” he recounted.
“Mao nay hinungdan nga akong amahan nagpadala og kwarta para kami mo-uli na proninsya. Sa pag-uli namo diri sa probinsya, arang lusira gyud. Wala tindahan magpa-utang nimo. Walay uma, walay negosyo. Walang-wala gyud,” Brital said
Brital added that because of DSWD’s BP program he now has hopes for a brighter future.
“Tungod og alang sa inyong paningkamot sa DSWD, nakadawat kami ini nga benepisyo. Paningkamutan namo nga makahatag kini og panginabuhian ug makahatag ug kaugmaon sa among mga anak. Pasalamat mi sa inyo [sa DSWD], labaw sa Makagagahum, nga tungod sa inyo nahimo ning programa sa atong Pangulo,”
The BP2 was institutionalized by virtue of Executive Order 114 series of 2020, anchored on a vision of achieving a balanced regional development and equitable distribution of wealth, resources, and opportunities through policies and programs that boost countryside development and inclusive growth, provide adequate social services, and promote full employment, industrialization and an improved quality of life in rural areas.
The program is part of the long-term holistic program under the Ambisyon Natin 2040, envisioning a society wherein Filipinos live in a prosperous, predominantly middle-class society where no one is poor.
