The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as one of the government agencies that boost countryside development, will assist 70 individuals who will return to the Zamboanga Peninsula in two weeks under the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa (BP2) program.
They will leave the National Capital Region (NCR) on November 25 and 26, according to a DSWD update on Friday.
“Naniniwala naman ako na sa patuloy nating pagtutulung-tulungan. Malaki ang magiging kontribusyon nito sa pagpapabilis at pagkakaroon ng epektibong pagpapatupad ng ating programa (If we continue working together, more people will benefit from the program. Eventually, the program will also become better to help even more beneficiaries),” DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista said in a statement.
The BP2 program supports the decongestion of NCR communities and gives beneficiaries who will decide to settle in their home provinces livelihood and financial assistance to start a new life.
The BP2 Program was institutionalized through Executive Order No. 114, series of 2020, to boost countryside development and inclusive growth, provide adequate social services, and promote full employment, industrialization, and improved quality of life in rural areas.
Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga del Norte have been beneficiaries of the program.
Construction of 20 housing units for BP2 beneficiaries is ongoing in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte while officials are identifying sites where agricultural activities may be implemented, including cattle production, hog and poultry raising, rice and corn production, vegetable farming, bamboo plantation, commercial forest production, and endemic tree reforestation.
In addition, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has provided training on bread and pastry for identified beneficiaries in Zamboanga del Norte while the Department of Trade and Industry delivered equipment and machines for the processing of engineered bamboo.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology Mindanao Cluster also committed to provide Internet access in BP2 sites and Information and Communications Technology training for beneficiaries.
The BP2 Committee is likewise coordinating with the Department of Agriculture to conduct soil analysis to determine the appropriate agricultural crops to be planted in the target BP2 site in Zamboanga del Sur.
Meanwhile, Zamboanga Sibugay is conducting profiling of the beneficiaries to determine appropriate livelihood activities.
DSWD facilitates community-driven development initiatives through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services’ National Community Driven Development in the settlement areas in Zamboanga Peninsula and will provide immediate relocation and transitional packages to help BP2 beneficiaries settle in their new environments.
Source: Philippines News Agency