The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) joined the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair at the Bukidnon State University in Malaybalay, Bukidnon over the weekend, 11 and 12 November, where it provided cash, livelihood, and food assistance to residents of the province.

For the cash assistance, the department released P12.859 million to help some 6,531 beneficiaries of the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) who requested hospitalization, medical, burial, and medicine support, among others.

The department also distributed a total of P1.305 million worth of livelihood assistance to three Sustainable Livelihood Program Associations (SLPAs) composed of 87 members while 8,705 family food packs (FFPs) worth P6.268 million were provided to families in need.

"The Department continues to participate in the caravan in support to this objective of the Marcos administration," DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said.

According to the Office of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the Serbisyo Caravan was a realization of the dream of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to bring the government's programs closer to the public.

The two-day caravan was organized by the Office of the President and the House of Representatives, in partnership with other national government agencies such as the DSWD, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Education (DepEd), and Department of Information And Communications Technology (DICT).

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and Land Transportation Office (LTO) also participated in the event.

The activity was the 7th Serbisyo Fair conducted nationwide and was the second Serbisyo caravan held in Mindanao.