Beneficiary families of the “Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa” program get on a shuttle bus at the BP2 depot in Quezon City on May 5, 2022. Three families composed of 13 individuals are back home in Samar, Northern Samar, and Siquijor. (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler)
‘Balik Probinsya’ benefits to be felt beyond Duterte’s term
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will step down from office in less than two months with landmark programs from which Filipinos will reap benefits way beyond his term.
Among those is the “Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa Program” (BP2) that encourages return to the provinces, with beneficiaries armed with sustainable livelihood opportunities among other incentives.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, most of the BP2 applicants are those who lost jobs or residing in slum areas.
Jocelyn Carlom, among the recent BP2 claimants, is back in Cebu.
She left Metro Manila with PHP20,000 for food allowance and PHP50,000 capital to start a new business.
“Applying for the program is one of the best decisions I’ve made,” she said in Filipino in a recent interview with the Philippine News Agency.
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), through its Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, is among the lead agencies of the BP2 program.
Beneficiaries are trained under the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program while regional offices provide Kabuhayan (livelihood) Starter Kits once they reach their home provinces.
Executive Order No. 114 institutionalized the BP2 program in 2020 with the main objective of addressing the congestion in Metro Manila.
The government guides every family beneficiary throughout the transition process with additional support and incentives on transportation, livelihood, family emergency assistance, subsistence, education, and housing, among others.
The program recently facilitated the return of 13 beneficiaries to Siquijor, Samar, and Northern Samar for free. Philippine News Agency
