THE Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) has reached the peaks of Benguet, rolling out a total of P412 million in cash aid and government programs to 80,000 beneficiaries in the province from April 21 to 22.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, one of the major proponents of the service caravan, led a total of 70 participating national government agencies in delivering over 326 services directly to the people of Benguet, which includes the distribution of some P261 million in financial aid.

“Inilulunsad po natin ngayong araw ang Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair sa inyong lalawigan. Ito po ay binuo bilang pagtalima sa utos ng ating mahal na Pangulo, Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr., na aktibong abutin ng gobyerno ang mga taong kanyang pinaglilingkuran,” said Romualdez, the leader of the 300-plus-member House of Representatives, during the opening of the BPSF at the Benguet State University in La Trinidad.

He said the BPSF is the fulfillment of the promise President Marcos that he would bring the government closer to the Filipino people.

The BPSF in Benguet is the first in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) Region and is the 15th installment of the service caravan that aims to cover all 82 provinces nationwide.

“Sa Serbisyo Fair na ito, kusa pong lumapit sa inyo ang iba’t ibang sangay ng pamahalaan upang maghatid ng tulong na inyong kailangan tungo sa ating sama-samang pag-unlad,” Romualdez said.

“Ang mensahe po na pinaabot namin sa inyo ngayong araw: kahit bundok po aakyatin, para masigurado na wala pong maiiwan sa pagtataguyod natin ng Bagong Pilipinas,” he added.

Benguet Lone District Rep. Eric Go Yap served as the local host of the event, with the support of Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas.

The Benguet leg of the BPSF, attended by 63 members of the House of Representatives posted the highest recorded attendance of lawmakers in the service caravan, nosing out the Agusan del Norte leg of the BPSF, which drew the attendance of 62 solons.

All in all, the BPSF distributed a total of P261 million in cash aid and P151 million in in-kind assistance in Benguet, which includes P110 million in social services, P10 million in health services, P50 million in agricultural services, P180 million in livelihood services, P35 million in educational assistance, P25 million in other government services and P1 million in regulatory services.

Among the services offered by BPSF was a province-wide payout in all 13 municipalities and one city of Benguet, which saw the distribution of financial aid to 50,000 residents under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS) – a program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)– amounting to P100 million.

Other province-wide activities include various scholarship programs of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED and livelihood assistance for various sectors in pre-identified eligible residents across Benguet.

Also, true to his moniker as “Mr. Rice,” Romualdez led the distribution of a total of 160,000 kilograms of rice to selected beneficiaries of the BPSF in Benguet, highlighting the importance of the Filipino staple in the lives of thousands of families.

A Pagkakaisa Concert was held during the first night of the BPSF in Benguet held at the Benguet State University oval with free admission, which drew a crowd of at least 10,000 people.