Government assistance and services worth P118.829 million reached 2,343 beneficiaries in Pampanga during the “Handog ng Pangulo” activity at the Bren Z. Guiao Convention Center on Sept. 13.
The provincial government said the aid covered education, livelihood, support for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), agriculture, health care, and aid for families and individuals in crisis.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) accounted for the largest portion of the assistance, distributing P75.6 million in Tertiary Education Subsidies to beneficiaries in the province, the Capitol said.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) also released ?15.6 million through its Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan (AKSYON) Fund to 267 beneficiaries.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), meanwhile, provided P14.8 million in Shared Service Facility assistance to the Pampanga Furniture Industries Foundation Inc. and facilitated about P1.1 million in loans for three other beneficiaries.
Under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, some 1,214 beneficiaries received P2,000 each, while 46 beneficiaries received more than P909,000 in Sustainable Livelihood Program grants, according to the provincial government.
The Capitol also reported that 135 Aeta beneficiaries received 25-kilogram sacks of rice, while 135 Aeta scholars were given P5,000 each for their educational needs.
For farmers, the Department of Agriculture distributed machinery and production inputs, including two combine harvesters, eight pump-and-engine sets and two cultivators.
Sixty farmers insured under the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation received a combined P360,000 in indemnity payments.
The Department of Agrarian Reform also distributed 16 electronic land titles covering 28 hectares to 15 agrarian reform beneficiaries, along with Certificates of Land Ownership Award covering four hectares for five additional beneficiaries.
The assistance also included P3.3 million in TESDA scholarship vouchers, welding tool kits for 30 beneficiaries, and aid for 151 senior citizens.
Of the senior citizen beneficiaries, 148 were octogenarians and nonagenarians received P10,000 each, while three centenarians received P100,000 each.
Health services were likewise provided during the activity, with the Department of Health offering free pneumococcal vaccination, X-ray, electrocardiogram and health risk assessment services to about 160 patients, the Capitol said.
Government agencies also brought frontline services to the venue, including National ID registration, police clearance, NBI clearance, legal consultation and land registration assistance.
