B2P RECIPIENTS. Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program beneficiaries bound for Dinagat Islands receive an orientation from BP2 personnel on Wednesday (Oct. 27, 2021). The beneficiaries are expected to depart Manila on Oct. 28. (PNA photo by Robert Alfiler) MANILA - The "Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa Program" (BP2) has led the charge in helping a couple reunite with their four children back home in Dinagat Islands after almost six years. Christopher Arabia, 42, the family patriarch, said he and his wife went to Manila some years back to make money, put food on the table, and sustain the education of their four children. As a welder working for a private firm, Arabia said he had faced extraordinary challenges at work due to pandemic-induced restrictions. "Yung company namin nag-request na na dapat stay-in ka. Maraming bawal gawin, at hindi ka rin makabili ng pagkain. Dapat lahat binibili sa loob sa canteen (The company has requested us to stay inside. There were a lot o
GOV'T ASSISTANCE. A Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) personnel (2nd from right) assists Daguio family members during the Balik Probinsya program send-off procedures at the Multi-purpose court 2, BP2 Depot, Agham Road, Quezon City on Tuesday night (Oct. 12, 2021). The DSWD conducted an assessment and distributed the financial assistance to the beneficiary family.(PNA photo by Robert Oswald P. Alfiler) MANILA - It may be an uncertain future ahead, but the latest beneficiaries of the national government's "Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asaProgram" (BP2) expressed optimism that the pandemic could portend a brighter future after arriving in Apayao on Oct. 13. The family, consisting of six individuals, was originally scheduled for departure on Oct. 11 but was moved to a later date due to the effects of Severe Tropical Storm Maring that battered the Cordillera Administrative Region early this week. "Maayos na yung panahon pagdating nila dito. In fact, k