All along, they thought being sent home to the province for free and with livelihood and financial assistance under the Balik Probinsya Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program couldn’t get any better.
The Boque and Tolomia families, included in the latest batch of beneficiaries who left for Negros Oriental on Friday morning, received yet another surprise when their children of school age were given computer tablets.
Crisele Tolomia said the mobile tablet will definitely help her nine-year-old with his studies.
“Hindi namin alam na bibigyan pala kami ng tablet. Gamit na gamit ito kasi lalo na sira na itong cellphone ko. Pang-online dun sa probinsya, may magagamit siya. Timing na timing din (We didn’t know that we will receive a tablet. This will be very useful for online classes and it is just on time especially since my cellphone is no longer functioning well),” she said Thursday after the National Housing Authority (NHA) received an ambulance and 1,500 units of mobile tablets from the Jaime V. Ongpin Foundation Inc. (JVOFI) for the BP2 Program.
The Deed of Donation and Acceptance was signed at the BP2 Depot in Quezon City by NHA General Manager and BP2 Council Executive Director Marcelino Escalada Jr. and JVOFI president Reinaldo Bautista Jr.
Escalada said the ambulance will be used when a beneficiary tests positive for Covid-19.
“Once they are negative, then we will issue the boarding passes to them. If it’s positive, the ambulance is necessary kasi malayo ‘yung mga facilities (because the facilities are located far from here),” Escalada said.
Fidel Boque, who returned home to Santa Catalina town with his wife and three children aged 16, 15, and 11, cannot thank the national government enough.
“Nagpapasalamat talaga ako sa programang ito ng Balik Probinsya. Maraming salamat talaga para makauwi na kami dun sa lugar namin at dun na kami maghahanapbuhay. Maraming maraming salamat talaga kina President Duterte at Senador Bong Go. Para ito sa mga anak ko (I am very thankful for the BP2 program. Thank you because finally we can go home to the province and work there. Thank you, President Duterte and Senator Bong Go. This is for my children),” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
