800 graduating, active 4Ps in Ga-Her

Get grassroots service at Barangayan

GARCIA HERNANDEZ, Bohol (PIA)—The Barangayan sa Bagong Pilipinas and Panagtagbo sa Pagpalambo sa Pamilyang Pilipino (4Ps sa 4Ps) Localized Information and Service Caravan August 14, 2026 was supposed to end at 3:00 PM but government agencies extended their services until over 800 residents of the town 30 barangays got served and came home from the Garcia Hernandez Cultural and Training Center satisfied.

Designed as a community forum for the grassroots communities of Garcia Hernandez which continue to be threatened by land movements, of which 13 houses have been totally destroyed, the event opened up avenues of dialogs with the grassroots.

Already seeing the gathering of people already stressed by the imminent danger putting their lives and properties in uncertainty, Bohol’s Barangayan morphed into a hybrid event complete with a whole-of-nation government service caravan of frontline services, including information and trainings that empower communities.

Conducted to also provide a fitting take-away for graduating members of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), Barangayan, in partnership with the DSWD, Provincial Government with Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado, Representative Alexie Tutor, LGU Garcia Hernandez and the Association of United Development Information Officers under the Philippine Information Agency is a perfect opportunity for residents to transact their businesses with the government, which is now brought into the town, according to Vice Mayor Antonia Ladaga, speaking for Mayor Filadelfo Baja.

At the Barangayan, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) updated the communities at risk, of the continuing threat of the landslides, explaining that the uphill barangays are established on top of old landslide debris, and the presence of continuous rains can saturate the landmass and push it further towards Manaba River.

Bohol’s Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council’s Tarsier117 through Rufa Otom, offered to communities’ disaster risk reduction trainings to equip communities with right skills, capacities and options during disasters.

National Housing Authority through Engr Johndiel Gucor, on the other hand, informed the community that LGU Garcia Hernandez has submitted proposals for the communities with damaged houses, the availment of Emergency Housing Assistance, financial aid for families who are calamity victims, exactly like the people of the town’s barangays.

From the participants, the PIA trained barangay representatives and volunteers on disaster, crime, and developmental reporting using mobile phones, as the town’s newly identified Barangay Information Officers (BIO).

Simultaneous with the reporting training, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) gave out free cupcakes and cupcake cooking demonstration to 30 women participants.

Philippine Carabao Center and Capitol’s Office of the Provincial Veterinarian moved out of the Barangayan venue to deliver artificial insemination services to carabaos, cattle, goat and pigs, also distributing dewormers and animal vitamins, including information on animal production and care.

Most dispensed services were from the Philippine Statistics Authority’s national identification registration and verification which comes in handy for getting government social benefits, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) registration, members data record printing and Bureau of Internal Revenue’s business name registration, tax transactions and other allied services.

Also hot booths were Social Security System’s membership, members record updating and IEC on the UPLIFT program, which now includes cash assistance for low income members, the Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Training Institute with Municipal Agriculture Office dispensing fruit trees seedlings, information collaterals on agri production, backyard gardening, livestock production and prizes for the day’s raffle draws.

National Irrigation Authority had information collaterals, while the Department of Information Communications and Technology provided the day’s internet connection and data overwatch with LGU’s local internet connectivity, for the internet-based services.

The Philippine Army’s 47IB in Bohol also pitched in with their Datag Detachment and Katipunan Carmen’s soldier barbers rendering Libreng Tupi, while also conducting peace symposium at a separate location.

Capitol’s Education Development Center provided 150 school bags, which were distributed to children in Candanas and Datag Elementary Schools.

LGU Garcia Hernandez PNP and MRDDM also provided traffic deputies, crowd control personnel and stand by medics as the MSWD facilitated the registrations.

Despite the well-oiled machinery in the flow of the crowd in the service caravan, the PSA found itself amidst a crowd of patient clients past 3 pm.

The orderly and patient clients possibly softened the PSA team’s resolve and decided to serve the last client on the queue. (PIAbohol)

MINUTES BEFORE THE EVENT. An already filling gymnasium eventually triggered the informal start of the caravan of services during Bohol’s whole of nation style of service and information caravan during the Barangayan ug Panagtagbo sa Paglambo sa mga sakop sa 4Ps, in Garcia Hernandez, Bohol. Barangayan focused on disaster communications for the mountain barangays of the town now still facing the risk of landslides and land movements. (PIAbohol)

WE HAVE BARELY STARTED. When clients started approaching booths before the event officially started, it was deemed to be a long day for government agencies arriving for the Barangayan sa Bagong Pilipinas and Panagtagbo sa Pagpalambo sa 4Ps in Garcia Hernandez. (PIABohol)

GaHer adopts BBM strategy

For orderly UPLIFT payout

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)— Basta Beripikado, Mabilis ang Serbisyo.

This sums up the realizations of the majority of over 700 residents of Garcia Hernandez (GaHer) 30 barangays who were beneficiaries of the Unified Package of Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport (UPLIFT) which the national government coursed through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

During the UPLIFT Pay-out August 12, GaHer Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer Arbit Noroño said everybody pooled effort to facilitate the orderly and fast conduct of the processes that by noontime, about 70 percent of the beneficiaries have received their P2,000 cash assistance.

The financial assistance is intended to protect the livelihoods, industry, food and transport needs of the poor as well as jumpstart the sluggish economy affected by the Middle East crisis and the war in Russia.

Under the DSWD UPLIFT program, members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and Walang Gutom Program get one time P2,000, while those barangay residents who are non 4Ps member but were found out to be near-poor based on the PSA’s Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS) and low income Social Security System (SSS) members can get P2,000 every month from July to December.

This is to secure that 7.5 million Filipino households can get at least P2,000 for 4Ps members which are about 3.5 million, and July to December for the near poor and 25% above the poverty threshold which is estimated at 2.5 million and the low income workers registered at the SSS counted at 1.5 million.

Actually, the process was fast because we have helping us Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as one of the requirements is to have a national ID, so they are here, (to verify the person through the national biometrics database) and hand in IDS and issue it on the spot; we have personnel from Land Bank of the Philippines as one requirement is for the beneficiary to have a bank account, or GCash account, that those who do not have automated teller machine access, they can open at the payout venue, Noroño shared.

According to the beneficiaries themselves, previous 4Ps payouts were disorderly and chaotic as people generally flock to where the tellers are without personal verification, which is key that unlocks the financial assistance.

“We required them to follow BBM, which is Basta Beripikado, Mabilis ang Serbisyo,” he said.

That means, all beneficiaries who come to the payout are already verified, and for the few who are not verified yet, the PSA, LandBank and GCash are there to assist on site.

“Dako kayo og tabang ang PSA, aron makakuha ko og national ID para makadawat ko sa payout,” (The presence of the PSA registration team is a huge help for me to get the national ID which is a requirement to get the cash payout) says Alberto Galimba Galorpot, 69 years old from Barangay Manaba.

In his 69 years, Galorpot, who works as a farmer, has not had a chance to get a government issued-identification cards, which can verify his identity.

The same government issued ID is also a requirement for people to open bank accounts, to facilitate government cash social assistance.

Learning from past experiences where cash payouts leave beneficiaries short-changed, the government has moved toward financial inclusivity for the beneficiaries, that opening of bank accounts for the facilitated transfer of the cash assistance became the standard.

For this, with verified and established bank accounts now, aside from the one time P2,000 cash payout, 4Ps beneficiaries also get a one-time top-up of P2,000 in the new Landbank or GCash Account, according to the DSWD.

On the other hand, after the initial P2,000 payout, those PSA identified near poor and the 25% of population above the poverty threshold will get a digital payout in the next five months, though either their Landbank accounts or GCash.

For the low-income households as determined by the SSS members are in the CBMS, who are employed and has a monthly salary credit of P20,00 and below and has contributed at least once in 2025 or 2026 and with an SSS disbursement account, where the digital pay-out is downloaded, SSS information officer Hazel Navarro explained. (PIABohol)

NATIONAL ID VERIFICATION. The PSA has lent its registration team’s presence during UPLIFT Payouts to serve the remaining residents who have no government issued identification cards and are not in the government database, so the government is assured that individual beneficiaries are the ones getting the financial assistance and not just anybody else. (PIAbohol)

CASH OR E-WALLET. UPLIFT beneficiaries get one-time cash assistance and would have the succeeding aids in digital payouts through Landbank or any e-wallet the beneficiary is subscribed into. Getting beneficiaries pre-verified before the pay-out tremendously facilitated the orderly processes, according to beneficiaries themselves. (PIABOHOL)