At least 24 families who are beneficiaries of the Balik Probinsya Bagong Pag-asa Program (BP2P) in the Ilocos Region have received livelihood assistance grants of up to PHP50,000.
In a text message on Thursday, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Ilocos Region BP2P focal person Reysa Pilotin said the families returned to their respective localities in the towns of Aringay, Naguilian, San Juan, Luna, and San Fernando City in La Union.
“They all received (a) transitory family support package, livelihood assistance, and some transitory shelter assistance,” she said.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, DSWD Ilocos Region said families will use the aid they have received to set up their own businesses or start a new life in their province.
Before the payout of the assistance, each of them got a family food pack from the provincial government of La Union while their transportation was shouldered by the DSWD-1, Pilotin said in a recent interview.
The National Housing Authority (NHA) provided the families from Aringay and San Fernando City 40-square-meter housing units in Aringay, La Union, she said.
“They signified that they have no houses to return to,” she added.
Pilotin said those who did not qualify for the housing grant from NHA will be assessed by the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of their localities for the transitory shelter aid.
“We are in coordination with the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office of the LGU to monitor the beneficiaries. If in the future they would violate the agreement, they will no longer be part of any program,” she said.
Among the reasons cited by those who availed of the BP2P were loss of jobs or other sources of income, unsafe current dwelling places, exposure to health and safety risks, and other environmental hazards.
The BP2P is a program of the national government addressing congestion in Metro Manila by encouraging dwellers, especially informal settlers, to return to their home provinces and assist them during the entire process. (PNA)
