OPAV conducts feeding, rice distribution in Carreta

CEBU, Philippines — The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas conducted a feeding program and rice distribution to residents in Barangay Carreta in Cebu City yesterday.

The event was in cooperation with the Joint Task Force Group Cebu Third Infantry Division of the Visayas Command and Tingog Partylist.

Over a thousand of residents were able to avail of the free porridge and some lucky 250 residents won five kilos of rice each.

Some school children also received backpacks from Tingog Partylist.

OPAV Undersecretary Terence Calatrava, after the nationwide flag raising ceremony held at Plaza Independencia for the 125th Philippine Independence Day and Nationhood, immediately proceeded to the rice distribution and feeding activities.

OPAV Assistant Secretary Antonio Veloso Jr., in an interview with The Freeman, said that the event served as their launching of their feeding program in the Visayas.

Veloso said that there will be more feeding activities especially in areas identified to have many children.

OPAV officially launched on May 21, 2023 its Bayan Bangon Muli Caravan in Barangay Canamucan, Compostela, Cebu.

The caravan of government services and bloodletting was made possible in partnership with the Municipality of Compostela, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Clinic (Blood Services Unit), Tingog Partylist, and several government agencies, in support of Cebu Fifth District Representative and Deputy House Speaker Vincent Franco “Duke” Frasco and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Calatrava, in a visit to the Capitol on May 18, said that his office wants to bring the Kadiwa ng Pangulo program of the national government to the Capitol’s Caravan of Government Services.

Kadiwa is a market linkage facilitation program of the Department of Agriculture aimed at making products such as rice, fish, poultry and livestock, fruits and vegetables, and other basic commodities accessible and affordable to the masses.

OPAV’s interest to join the Capitol-initiated caravan came after it recently launched the “Bayan Bangon Muli (BBM): A Caravan of Government Services for the People of the Visayas.”

Garcia said that with the Capitol’s caravan, OPAV will be able to help more beneficiaries and more frequently since it is being done ten times each quarter.

According to Sugbo News, the official news portal of the Cebu Provincial Government, that the Capitol’s caravan of services has seen a growing number of national government agencies as well as private sectors and independent associations that are joining forces to bring their respective services closer to the Cebuanos. — (FREEMAN)