A total of 21 families who are beneficiaries of the government’s Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa (BP2) Program will be sent off to Zamboanga Peninsula from Nov. 25 to 26, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said Friday, Nov. 12.
The DSWD assured the public that it continued contributing to the government’s efforts to ensure balanced regional development and equitable wealth distribution, resources, and opportunities by decongesting urban communities.
“To date, a total of 21 BP2 beneficiaries consisting of 70 individuals are set to be dispatched in the region on November 25-26, 2021 from Metro Manila to start anew through the BP2 Program,” it said in a statement.
The DSWD, one of the member-agencies of the Regional Development Council IX (RDC 9), said the BP2 Committee is implementing the program in three provinces in the Zamboanga Peninsula. These are Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Zamboanga del Norte, including the Municipality of Kalawit, as the pilot municipality.
Under the BP2 program,which was institutionalized through Executive Order (EO) No. 114, series of 2020, beneficiaries who decided to settle in their original hometown or in other resettlement areas, are given various opportunities to start a new life.
The DSWD noted that since the program was enacted last year, national government agencies and local government units (LGUs) have joined hands to advance the implementation of the BP2 Program in the region.
“Naniniwala naman ako na sa patuloy nating pagtutulung-tulungan, malaki ang magiging kontribusyon nito sa pagpapabilis at pagkakaroon ng epektibong pagpapatupad ng ating programa (I believe that as we continue to work together, this will greatly contribute to the expeditious and effective implementation of our program),” RDC 9-BP2 Committee Chair and DSWD Secretary Rolando Joselito Bautista said in one of the Council meetings.
To prove that initial actions have already been undertaken for the program, the DSWD said to date, 20 housing units are being constructed for BP2 beneficiaries in Kalawit, Zamboanga del Norte .
“The municipal LGU is also identifying sites/areas for the different agricultural activities to be implemented, along with cattle production, hog and poultry raising, rice and corn production, vegetable farming, bamboo plantation, commercial forest production, and endemic tree reforestation, among others,” it said.
The initial efforts were made through the guidance of the Mindanao Development Authority together with the active participation of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), as secretariat of the BP2 committee.
“In addition, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority IX has provided training on bread and pastry to the identified local beneficiaries in the province of Zamboanga del Norte while the Department of Trade and Industry IX has delivered equipment/machines for the processing of engineered bamboo,” the DSWD said.
“Furthermore, the Department of Information and Communications Technology Mindanao Cluster 1 has committed to putting up internet access in the BP2 site areas and Information and Communications Technology training for the beneficiaries,” it added.
The DSWD said the BP2 panel is coordinating with the Department of Agriculture (DA) to conduct soil analysis to determine the appropriate agricultural crops to be planted in the target BP2 site in Zamboanga del Sur.
Meanwhile, the Provincial LGU of Zamboanga Sibugay is conducting profiling of the beneficiaries to determine the appropriate livelihood activities, it added.
The DSWD expressed commitment to the convergence effort of decongesting Metro Manila by facilitating community-driven development initiatives through the Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan - Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services’ (KALAHI CIDSS) National Community Driven Development in the settlement areas in Zamboanga Peninsula.
It likewise expressed readiness to provide immediate relocation and transitional packages to help BP2 beneficiaries settle in their new environment.
“Through the BP2 Program, the Philippine government aims to ensure more inclusive and balanced urban and rural development and resilient and sustainable communities across the country.”