Residents here and nearby towns in the province of Ilocos Norte have begun queuing online for the upcoming Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair caravan to be held at the Mariano Marcos State University, Laoag campus from Sept. 23 to 24.

Nelda Quinay, 43, a resident of Barangay 5, San Pedro in this city said in an interview Thursday that her electronic identification card has already been secured to ensure her participation in the two-day event.

“As soon as I learned about the event posted in social media, I immediately registered online so I can avail of the government services to be offered,” Quinay said.

The mother of two said she had been longing to avail of government scholarship grants for her kids, as well as livelihood aid for business start-ups.

All these will be offered, along with other social services and regulatory functions of participating agencies, among them the Food and Drug Administration, Philippine Coconut Authority, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Philippine National Police, Land Transportation Office, Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of Foreign Affairs, National Bureau of Investigation, PhilHealth, PAG-IBIG, Social Security System, Office of Civil Defense, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Health.

For the first time, the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair caravan, a flagship program of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., will be brought to Laoag to bring various government services closer to the public.

The caravan is a wider and bigger version of the so-called Capitol Express being rolled out in the province of Ilocos Norte where government workers reach out to the underserved communities.

Participated in by 40 government agencies, more than 60 programs and services will be brought closer to the people this weekend through the caravan, said Ryan Remigio, head of the office of Rep. Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, who is spearheading the preparations for the event.

This will be launched simultaneously in this city as well as in Nabua, Camarines Sur, and in the municipality of Tolosa in Leyte.

“I am excited for the Serbisyo Fair. I hope this will be the start of many more services within our reach,” said Ronald Domingo, a resident of Batac City.

Domingo said he also looks forward to the raffle draw at the event site where 30 power banks, 20 cellphones, 20 tablets, 5 laptops, and 1 NMAX motorcycle would be awarded to winners.

To avoid overcrowding at the event site, Ilocos residents are advised to register online through the BPSF online portal at www.bagongpilipinastayo.com. If not registered online, the registration can be done onsite.

On Thursday, all participating government agencies joined the final coordination meeting at the Centennial Arena to ensure a smooth flow of the event. (PNA)