CEBU: A total of 1,363 individuals facing crisis received PHP5.4 million during the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair in the southern town of Dalaguete in Cebu over the weekend, a regional social welfare official said on Tuesday.

Shalaine Lucero, director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 7 (Central Visayas), said the event, which was organized by the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV), aimed to help mitigate the impact of calamity or emergency.

She said the recipients came from the 2nd District of Cebu province, covering the towns of Alcoy, Argao, Boljoon, Dalaguete, Oslob, Samboan, and Santander, and were identified by their respective local government units (LGUs) before the service caravan.

‘This is one way to support the efforts of the government to bring its services closer to the people and increase public awareness about other programs and services that DSWD offers,’ she said.

Launched by the Office of the President, the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair
is a social services caravan that aims to make government services more accessible for the less fortunate Filipinos.

During the event, DSWD personnel distributed family food packs and financial assistance.

In Central Visayas, Siquijor province was the first to host a Bagong Pilipinas event on Feb. 18 to 19, listing 29,831 beneficiaries for financial assistance through the assistance to individuals in crisis situation (AICS) program and 8,662 individuals who received family food packs.

Meanwhile, about 960 TUPAD or the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged workers in Bohol province received their wages from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 7, amounting to PHP4.4 million.

In the latest payout spearheaded by the DOLE-Bohol, TUPAD beneficiaries from 14 LGUs in Bohol received their wages after working for 10 days.

Source: Philippines News Agency