The Office of the Vice President (OVP) launched on Sunday, June 4, its ninth satellite office in Cotabato City, Maguindanao for residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). (Photo from Inday Sara Duterte via Facebook) This meant qualified beneficiaries from BARMM would have an easier time accessing the services provided by the OVP, especially medical and burial services. Vice President Sara Duterte, who attended the opening of the OVP-BARMM, said it would better to have an office that can immediately respond to the needs of the people. “Mas mainam talaga kung meron tayong mga tao dito na araw-araw ay nakikita nila, namo-monitor nila ang sitwasyon sa BARMM area para mabilis ‘yung aksyon (It is really better if we have people here who can monitor every day the situation in BARMM area for immediate action),” she said, citing the flooding in April when the Talayan River overflowed, affecting some 500 families. The satellite office would also cater to those from Region 13. The OVP has other satellite offices in the cities of Cebu, Tacloban, Davao, Zamboanga, Tandag, Isabela, and Dagupan. Aside from the medical and burial assistance, the satellite offices also implement other OVP-initiated projects. Among these is the PagbaBAGo campaign, which provides school and dental supplies to beneficiaries in the aim of advocating education among school children and responsible parenthood on adults. There is also the Kalusugan Food Truck, which provides hot meals to calamity responders and volunteers, as well as the Pansarap nutritional program that distributes buns to schools with high number malnutrition cases. The OVP also continued the Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day, an initiative by Duterte when she was still mayor of Davao City. The program provides livelihood opportunities to women and members of the LGBTQI community. Another program by the OVP is the Disaster Operations Center which spearheads calamity response and relief augmentation to communities.