President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF), the country’s largest service and convergence caravan, will visit 13 provinces in the first quarter of 2025, bringing essential government services directly to communities across the nation.
During Tuesday’s daily press briefing at the House of Representatives, Deputy Secretary General Sofonias “Ponyong” P. Gabonada announced the upcoming BPSF schedule, stating that the service caravan in Samar this week will be the last for this year.
“We have Albay, Sorsogon, Camiguin, Quezon, La Union, Tarlac, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Davao Oriental, North Cotabato, Misamis Occidental, Bohol, and Aklan lined up for the first quarter of next year,” Gabonada said.
The BPSF aims to provide a comprehensive range of services, including financial assistance, health programs, housing support, emergency employment and various government clearances from several government departments and agencies.
Gabonada emphasized the program’s broader objective: “We are targeting two-thirds of the provinces of the entire country will be served through BPSF.”
He also said that Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the primary proponent of the service caravan, is also eyeing the BPSF to become a crucial platform for addressing the needs of disaster-stricken communities.
Gabonada explained the directive from Speaker Romualdez to extend services to typhoon-affected areas.
“The Speaker, Speaker Martin Romualdez, has an instruction already in response to the call of the President na buhusan ng serbisyo iyung mga nasalanta din ng bagyo or various typhoons na dumaan,” he said.
The upcoming service fairs will address relief distribution and long-term recovery needs.
“Hindi lamang relief ang kailangan nila. Kailangan nilang i-rebuild iyung bahay nila, kailangan nila ng emergency employment, kailangang matingnan iyung kalagayan ng kalusugan nila, kung may iba pa silang pangangailangan ay dapat nanduon iyung full government approach para mas madali silang makabangon,” Gabonada said.
He revealed that the BPSF has already provided significant aid to disaster-stricken areas.
“We have allocated P850 million already. Para sa cash assistance to 170,000 families affected in the Bicol region,” he reported. He added that assistance distribution began on Nov. 13 and continues daily to reach all beneficiaries.
In addition to cash assistance, the government has delivered vital supplies to affected communities.
“Masaya po kaming i-announce sa inyo na duon sa 24 trucks na hinatid natin sa Bicol, mostly po nun ay bigas. That’s around 650,000 kilos of rice ang ipamamahagi natin,” Gabonada bared, noting that other items like clothing and canned goods were also distributed.
Gabonada highlighted the collaborative effort between government agencies and private partners to provide construction materials to rebuild houses and restore power in typhoon-hit areas.
“Ang NHA together with private partners nila … ay magko-consolidate sila para makabuo ng mga materials, construction materials para maibigay duon sa rebuilding ng houses ng mga nawalan talaga ng bahay,” he said.
The Deputy Secretary-General also discussed the upcoming BPSF in Samar, which will be the final event for 2024.
“We expect to cater to a hundred thousand families for cash assistance. We are targeting around 180,000 beneficiaries across all programs and services,” Gabonada stated, adding that the value of the programs and services is projected to reach half a billion pesos.
For the 2025 BPSFs, Gabonada highlighted the specific services to be offered in disaster-affected areas.
“Sa Albay, it’s a mini BPSF. Medyo yung tinap natin dun yung relevant agencies that can provide rehabilitation to our affected areas kagaya ng DOLE for the emergency employment, DOH for the health programs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Samar’s event will feature a full array of services, including passport issuance, clearances, scholarships, and livelihood programs.
“Hopefully we are praying… na sana hindi na masundan [ng bagyo], at kung meron man ay hindi ganun ka destructive,” Gabonada said.