WAITING GAME. It’s an anxious wait for a family of three at the Balik Probinsya program depot in Quezon City on Thursday (May 27, 2021). They are among the beneficiaries who will be sent home to Tacloban, Leyte on Friday morning, if their Covid-19 tests are negative, to rebuild their lives amid the pandemic. (PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler)
MANILA – Some 61 beneficiaries of the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-Asa (BP2) Program will go home to Leyte on Friday, hopeful for a fresh start.
Severely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, the families scattered in different parts of Metro Manila decided to apply for the BP2 program.
Francisco Gatila, 49, who lived in Barangay Moonwalk, Parañaque, is all praises for the Duterte administration as the BP2 program will save them from all the hardships and difficulties they experienced while in Metro Manila.
“Maraming salamat, Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte, maraming salamat sa National Housing Authority (NHA), maraming salamat sa lahat ng ahensyang bumubuo ng programang ito. Marami po kayong natutulungan (Thank you President Rodrigo Duterte, thank you NHA, thanks to all the agencies that are part of this program. You are able to help a lot of people),” Gatila said.
Gatila and her wife, Lorna, underwent swab tests at the BP depot in Quezon City on Thursday. If the tests turn out negative, they will be allowed to travel with their three children, aged 13, 8, and 3.
He has been supporting his family by doing odd jobs, like working part-time in construction sites, after he lost his income as a tricycle driver when the pandemic struck.
When transportation restrictions were lifted, his operator was already driving the tricycle himself.
“Nung nalaman namin na merong balik probinsya, nag-decide kami ng misis ko na apply tayo kasi nawalan na ko ng trabaho dito (When we heard about the Balik Probinsya, my wife and I decided to apply for it since I already lost my job),” he said.
Through the BP2, Gatila is hoping to get a fresh start in his home province.
“Mas maigi pa sa probinsya kahit walang trabaho basta merong matatanim, mabubuhay naman (It is better to live in the province, even if you do not have a job as long as you can plant some vegetables, you can survive),” Gatila added.
Of the 61 beneficiaries, 13 are heads of families, Albert Paolo Dayao of the NHA said.
Prior to the dispatch, the beneficiaries were on 14-day home quarantine.
Local government units (LGUs) and village officials made sure they adhered to protocols, Dayao said.
At the depot, beneficiaries are provided with full meals and sleeping quarters.
“For Leyte, we have two batches, a total of 120 beneficiaries. Since we cannot accommodate them all in one batch, we divided it by two — 61 for this batch and 59 for next week, June 3 and 4,” Dayao said.
Upon arrival in Tacloban, the beneficiaries will be sent off to their communities.
“Depende sa health protocol ng receiving LGU, pero as far as I know mag-14-day quarantine din sila depende sa LGU, meron home quarantine, meron sa facility (Depends on the health protocol of the receiving LGU but as far as I know, they will be subjected to a 14-day quarantine, depending on the LGU whether home quarantine or in the facility),” Dayao said.
The BP2 program was suspended in June 2020 to prioritize the return of stranded individuals. It resumed in March this year
The previous dispatches were to Davao del Norte, Isabela, Camarines Sur, and Leyte.
To avail of the program, information can be found at the balikprobinsya.ph website. Required documents are valid identification cards and birth certificates of minor children.
Starting next month, BP2 will be conducting weekly dispatches.
To date, Tacloban City and Ormoc in Leyte, Davao del Norte, Isabela, and Camarines Sur committed to accept BP2 residents. (PNA)
