CEBU CITY, Philippines – A total of 41 individuals from Manila recently returned to their homes in Cebu and Bohol through the government’s Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pagasa Program (BP2P), implemented by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
In a press statement on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, the DSWD 7 said 41 individuals coming from Manila arrived in Cebu last June 2 through the BP2P, a program that aims to decongest urban poor communities and send families back to their home provinces.
These families, the DSWD-7 said, are part of the second batch of returnees from last year’s dispatch from Manila.
“After two years of global pandemic, vulnerable families are still not able to cope with the ill effects of COVID-19, worsening their situations with loss of income and unstable livelihood opportunities, and risk of getting infected in urban areas,” DSWD said in a statement.
The DSWD-7 with representatives from the National Housing Authority and the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the respective local government units welcomed these families before they were sent off to their hometowns and cities in Cebu City, Bogo City, and Tabuelan in Cebu.
The DSWD-7 said these families will be given transitory cash assistance and livelihood grants for start up capital. They also received agribusiness kits from the DA to help them ensure food security and agricultural productivity once they reintegrate back into their community.
“We at DSWD, are very happy to serve you with assistance from the national government,” DSWD-7 Assistant Regional Director for Administration Antonio Dolaota said.
The local government of Tabuelan also said that as part of their reintegration program, members of the returned families in their municipality will be enrolled for a training under the Tabuelan Center for Health and Wellness.
The DSWD-7 said by the end of 2o22, the BP2P is expected to provide support to a total of 200 families.
/bmjo
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