President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday assured the public that government programs and assistance will reach even the farthest and remotest parts of the archipelago to help cushion the impact of the El Niño phenomenon.

Marcos made the remark as he led the distribution of various government assistance to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which was placed under a region-wide state of calamity due to the dry spell.

“Nais kong ipaalam sa inyo na nagsisikap ang inyong pamahalaan upang mabawasan ang tindi ng epekto nito sa ating pang araw-araw na buhay (I would like to inform you that your government is working hard to reduce the severity of the impact El Niño to our daily lives),” Marcos said in his speech at the Provincial Sports Complex in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi.

“Sa lahat ng ahensya ng pamahalaan na [naririto] — mula sa mga pinuno hanggang sa bawat empleyado — sisiguraduhin po namin na makararating ang lahat ng tulong, programa, [at] oportunidad sa ating mga mamamayan, lalo na sa pinakamalayong lugar tulad ng Basilan, tulad ng Tawi-Tawi (With all the government agencies here— from local leaders to every government employee — we will make sure that all assistance, programs, and opportunities will reach our citizens, especially in the farthest areas like Basilan, like Tawi-Tawi),” he added.

During the program, Marcos distributed PHP10,000 each cash assistance to 10 selected family beneficiaries in Tawi-Tawi, as well as PHP10 million each to the provincial governments of Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.

Different agencies such as the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development also distributed their respective assistance and programs as part of the two-day Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair in the province.

These included cash assistance, employment opportunities, livelihood kits and agricultural assistance, among many others.

Meanwhile, the Office of House Speaker Martin Romualdez also distributed five kilos of rice to each attendee.

On Thursday afternoon, Marcos is also expected to lead a similar event in Maguindanao.

The President has been going around the country to deliver government assistance to communities affected by the extreme drought and to personally hear the grievances of the public.

He has vowed that no region or province will be left behind in the provision of government assistance. (PNA)

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