Remulla leads Cavite aid drive

TRECE MARTIRES CITY — Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla led the Cavite leg of “Handog ng Pangulo: Serbisyong Sapat Para sa Lahat” on Monday, benefiting more than 5,000 Caviteños with government assistance and frontline services.

Some P12.7 million in assistance and benefits were distributed as national government agencies and local government units brought essential services closer to communities.

Handog ng Pangulo 2026 is being held nationwide to mark the 69th birthday of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and promote responsive, inclusive and people-centered governance.

Among the assistance provided were P8.1 million from the Department of Migrant Workers’ Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFWs na Nangangailangan Fund for displaced overseas Filipino workers and P1.86 million in student financial assistance for Cavite State University grantees through the Commission on Higher Education.

Remulla was joined by Cavite Gov. Francisco Gabriel “Abeng” Remulla and city and municipal mayors from across the province.

The DILG chief also announced developments expected to boost employment and access to essential services in Cavite.

He said construction of the Sangley International Airport is expected to move forward next year and generate more than 30,000 jobs. Remulla said he had just returned from India, where he and other officials finalized an agreement for the project on behalf of the Philippine government.

He also said the Philippine General Hospital in Carmona is expected to become operational this year, giving Caviteños greater access to medical services closer to home.

Various government agencies provided services during the event, including the Bureau of Immigration, Department of Agrarian Reform, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Land Registration Authority-Registry of Deeds, Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.

Launched by the Office of the President in 2024, Handog ng Pangulo brings national agencies and LGUs together to make government assistance and frontline services more accessible to communities.