ASSISTANCE. Beneficiaries of the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program from Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental receive their assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in March 2022. All recipients of the program are monitored by their respective local governments to determine the technical assistance they need for referral to concerned government agencies.(Photo courtesy of Maricar Calubiran) ILOILO CITY - The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided over PHP25 million in transitory support family package (TSFP) and livelihood settlement grant to 388 families of the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program in Western Visayas (Region 6) during the first half of 2022. DSWD 6 Promotive Services Division Chief Luna Moscoso, in a phone interview on Friday, said 106 of the target 500 families assessed last year received their support package. Subsequently, 101 of them were provided with livelihood grants, amounting to PHP9 million. As of June this year, an additional 282 families received the support package, and 112 more were provided with livelihood assistance worth PHP16.1 million. Moscoso said the recipients could use the transitory support package to make a fresh start in their new settlement. "We are assessing their capacity on how they can start again. They are identified for whatever skills they have so they can start anew. We extend up to a maximum of PHP50,000 per family," she said, referring to the livelihood assistance. This quarter, the remaining 205 beneficiary families are expected to receive PHP7.6 million for the TSFP, while 375 for the livelihood worth PHP18.7 million. Moscoso said Western Visayas has the highest number of beneficiaries among all regions in the country. Rather than waiting for a referral from the central office, Moscoso said they already coordinated with local government units to identify families who have returned home but did not go through the assessment in Manila. "We have workers here with augmentation from the central office who assessed them and were found to be true beneficiaries of the program," Moscoso said. All recipients of the program are monitored by their respective local governments to determine the technical assistance they need for referral to concerned government agencies. Local governments are also advised to submit their additional list of family beneficiaries before Aug. 15 so the DSWD can request for augmentation fund from the central office. The Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program helps vulnerable families in highly urbanized cities return to the provinces to decongest urban centers during the health pandemic, Moscoso said. (PNA) }