Cebuanos treated to free government services, assistance on president’s birthday

CEBU, Philippines — Various government agencies group together to provide assistance and services to Cebuano beneficiaries as part of the nationwide celebration of the birthday of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. yesterday.

The “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para Sa Lahat” in Cebu was spearheaded by the Cebu Provincial Government along with the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

Vice Governor Hilario Davide III, who is currently the acting governor, said the distribution of assistance and the free services from various government agencies are testaments of the Marcos administration’s commitment to the well-being of every Filipino.

Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco graced the event yesterday. She said that bringing national government assistance directly to Cebu is the administration’s way of thanking the Cebuanos for the overwhelming votes the president received in Cebu during the last 2022 elections.

“Sa atong mga kaigsuonang Pilipino, nagpakita sa atong paglantaw sa atong Presidente who has a deep understanding of the needs of the Filipino people, and the necessity of ensuring that government services uplift the lives of our fellow Filipinos; help our communities; strengthen our small and medium enterprises; benefit our farmers; provide employment, livelihood; and ensure that there is social protection in place,” the Tourism Secretary said in her speech.

In support of the government’s goal for food sufficiency and security, DA-7 distributed two agricultural machineries to identified farmer beneficiaries in Cebu.

The farmer association in Mojon, Awihao in Toledo City and Lamac Punod-Sibago Irrigators Association in Pinamungajan Southern Cebu each received a walking-type agricultural tractor.

DOLE-7 also distributed cash assistance to the beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers or TUPAD program. The town of Santander, Cebu received a cheque worth P1.2 million. There were also cheques distributed for the parents of child laborers from Bogo City.

The Candugay Women’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative in Barili town also received P500,000 for their bottled water refilling station project which is said to help 153 beneficiaries.

TESDA 7, for their part, has also distributed allowance to its 10 scholars of the Training for Work Scholarship Program through their Training Support Fund.

In the ceremonial awarding of the allowance, five TESDA trainees of the Computer System Services National Certification Level II (NC II) have received P5,600 each. While those Gas Metal Arc Welding NCII got P5,400 each.

TESDA 7 have also installed booths that offer information and assistance on their scholarship program, competency assessment, as well as registration for Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Other agencies such as DTI-7 also offered assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” initiative, as such provides affordable local products.

DSWD 7 likewise offered programs to assist vulnerable sectors, while DILG 7 provided free legal advice to the public.

On the other hand, the Cebu Provincial Government and its offices showcased a mini caravan of services, offering health check-ups, legal consultations, land assessments, and agricultural assistance.

The offices that provided the free assistance and services were the Provincial Health Office, Provincial Agriculture’s Office, Provincial Assessor’s Office, Provincial Legal Office, and Provincial Veterinary Office. — (FREEMAN)