WE217: Attending Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair In Tacloban City

5 August 2024

Being unemployed at present does not prevent me from being busy. I still have a lot to do, both inside and outside our house. I keep my body active, not stagnant because slacking is not my forte. I've recently been going in and out of the hospital for consultations. I make sure I'm physically fit before returning to work when the opportunity comes.

I would often open my desktop to see what is going on in the virtual world, check the crypto market, and engage in some Hive postings. I hadn't participated in any writing engagement contests in a long time, so when I saw the WE217 topics in one of the articles I read, I decided to join.

For this week, one of the questions is:

What are you doing this weekend and why? - Use your own photos.

Last Saturday, I had a doctor's appointment at the hospital, and while I waited for my name to be called (I was #17 on the list), I decided to go to a fair I spotted on Facebook, which was only a short distance away. The Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair was held in Tacloban City which is two rides from our town. According to the news, it was the largest and grandest fair of the Bagong Pilipinas program.

We didn't see how grand the fair was because we visited on the final day. But videos are spread online, so you can check out them. We missed a lot, including financial aid, several programs, and free services, as well as the opportunity to see some celebrities and prominent politicians who had been invited. On the first night, there was even a concert including celebrities such as Daniel Padilla, Jane De Leon, and the popular band Sponge Cola. I'd never seen them in person, so this was an opportunity I missed. So I regretted not attending the first day of the fair. I chose to attend on the second day because it was also my follow-up check-up. I believed it would save money on the fare, lol.

Anyway, we went to the fair after registering online. Those wishing to make use of the free services at the Serbisyo Fair were required to pre-register. I'd been out of the country for a long time, so I was unaware of the new government programs. This Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines in English) is the current administration's major program. This initiative intends to prioritize inclusive plans for social and economic transformation.

The fair was held at Leyte Normal University, which is one of the biggest universities in our city. I expected to see fewer people on the final day, but there were still a lot. The fair provides a variety of services from government entities. Education, health, agricultural, and livelihood programs are among the free services available.

The map shows were government agencies offering services are located.

Our initial intention for attending this fair was to take advantage of the free health consultations. It includes a free cancer screening, which I am supposed to avail for my mother, as well as a free dental check-up and tooth extraction for my sister. Unfortunately, when we arrived, health services had been cut off for some reason. We considered looking into other services available at the covered court.

Other free services include massages, haircuts, pedicures/manicures, and free meals from various school culinary groups. We considered receiving a complimentary massage, but after looking at the list, we decided against it because we would have to wait in line for a long time. We took some complimentary goodies instead.

My mother and sister were with me. Instead of receiving free services, we decided to market fresh veggies sold by various farmers. Prices were far lower than those sold in markets. We were tempted to buy more, but they would be heavy and difficult to transport home because we didn't have a car. We've been without a driver since our father passed away. Our car had been abandoned since then.

The fair sells more than simply vegetables. It also sells products from other livelihood programs. We purchased vegetables and ready-to-eat snacks. When we had enough and were exhausted, we considered leaving the fair. We were about to depart when a concerned lady informed us about the free supplies being distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWD). I instructed my mother to queue to get a claim stub. She was lucky to get one before it was cut off. The method of claiming the goods was different at a different location. It took her about two hours to claim the relief goods. We were even caught in the rain while queuing.

In the end, we got this box of relief supplies and a large bag of fresh veggies purchased from Kadiwa farmers. Later, we learned from others that a particular government agency provided cash help worth Php 5,000, which we missed. But at the very least, we received a box of relief goods, which was not part of the plan that day, lol. Students also received free scholarships from several sectors.

We returned to the hospital since the secretary had already called me with this hefty box and bags. It was exhausting, I must say. Following my consultation, we went straight to Jollibee for our late lunch. We were already quite hungry.

The day was still early, so we decided to buy the lacking goods at home and other stuff. After that, I got my sister a new pair of Converse shoes, and we took the heavy box and shopping bags to the terminal.

That was an exhausting day for the three of us. And it was already night when we reached back home that day. It's not my ideal weekend, to be honest. I used to travel or hike on the weekends when I was in Hong Kong, but transportation here isn't convenient, which always hinders me from pursuing my plans.

That's all for now. Happy new week everyone!

Thanks for your time.

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