Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa program (PNA file photo by Robert Alfiler) CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - The Department of Social Welfare and Development Region-Northern Mindanao (DSWD-10) has received 515 families under the "Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa" (BP2) program during the first half of the year. Rosemarie Conde, DSWD-10 Assistant Director for Operations said during the Cabinet Officers for Regional Development and Security Region 10 (CORDS-10) webcast Saturday night that the most recent dispatch on May 31 was composed of 10 families. The families were given a PHP50,000 livelihood settlement grant. BP2 families also get transitory shelter or rental subsidies while waiting for the assessment of their permanent housing assistance. On May 6, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order 114 which institutionalized BP2, with the primary goal of ensuring balanced regional development and equitable distribution of wealth, resources, and opportunities in the countryside. The program aims to address overcrowding in Metro Manila, especially among informal settlers, by encouraging return to the provinces. To coordinate the conduct of BP2-related activities in Northern Mindanao, the Regional Development Council-10 created the Special Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa committee. Conde said BP2 families must comply with the requirements under the program as indicated in a Memorandum of Agreement they signed with DSWD and the local government unit (LGU) where they reside if they want to continue availing of benefits. LGU and village officials will monitor the families to ensure that the grants were properly spent on their livelihood and welfare. Lilibeth Domo has returned to Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte with her family after 22 years in Metro Manila. Her husband lost his job as a construction worker at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, hence the decision to apply for the BP2 program. Another beneficiary, Jojie Lapinig, was likewise laid off from construction work in Cavite and decided to go home to Tubod, Lanao del Norte after 18 years. (PNA) }