A total of 135,000 beneficiaries in Tawi-Tawi received a combined P700 million in government services and financial aid during the two-day Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) held last May 23 until this Friday at the DepEd Culture and Sports Complex in the Municipality of Bongao.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez led the BPSF opening in the very first service caravan in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the 7th in the whole of Mindanao, and the 18th installment in the country as a whole.

“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,” Speaker Romualdez, the leader of the 300-plus-strong House of Representatives, 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,” Speaker Romualdez said.

This is the 18th installment of the Serbisyo Caravan, which aims to cover all 82 provinces nationwide. The Tawi-Tawi BPSF has Gov. Yshmael I. Sali and Rep. Dimszar M. Sali serving as the local hosts of the event.

Also, the BPSF in Tawi-Tawi was attended by over 95 members of the House of Representatives, the highest attendance so far in the history of the festival of services event.

BPSF Tawi-Tawi has over 40 participating national government agencies that provided a total of 199 services to 135,000 beneficiaries, where a total of P699 million worth of programs was rolled out during the two-day event, P319 million of which is in the form of cash assistance.

The DSWD conducted continuous payouts across the province of Tawi-Tawi, which reached a total of 100,000 individual AICS beneficiaries amounting to P319 million.

Other city-wide activities include various scholarship programs of TESDA and CHED, including livelihood assistance for various sectors of pre-identified eligible clients across the province of Tawi-Tawi.

On Thursday afternoon, Speaker Romualdez, also known as “MR. RICE” is scheduled to distribute a total of 222,100 kilograms of rice to identified BPSF beneficiaries.

On the first night of the Serbisyo Fair, a Pagkakaisa Concert will be held at the DepEd Complex Grounds, Bongao with free admission, drawing a crowd of 10,000 people.

The BPSF in Tawi-Tawi will launch this Friday the Start-up, Incentives, Business Opportunity and Livelihood (SIBOL) Program and the Integrated Scholarship and Incentives for the Youth (ISIP for the Youth) Program.

The SIBOL Program is an initiative of Speaker Romualdez that 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.

Speaker Romualdez said supporting businesses in the Philippines involves a combination of government initiatives, private sector efforts and various programs aimed at fostering economic growth and entrepreneurship.

A total of 5,000 beneficiaries in Tawi-Tawi received P3,000 each from the DSWD’s AICS Program as well as 7 kilograms of rice each in a simple ceremony held at the DepEd Culture and Sports Complex last May 24.

ISIP for the Youth is also an initiative of Speaker Romualdez, in collaboration with government agencies, to assist deserving students facing financial challenges in pursuing quality education.

A total of 8,300 students in Tawi-Tawi received financial aid of P2,000 pesos every six months through the DSWD AICS to cover tuition and other expenses. They also received 7 kilograms of rice each in a simple ceremony held at the Henry V. Kong Gymnasium, Mindanao State University, Sanga Sanga las May 24.