By Hilda Austria/PNA
MANGALDAN, Pangasinan – Some 600 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and their family members bonded through and enjoyed games, contests and raffle prizes, in the ‘Fun Fair’ held here on Monday.
Soledad Rosario, manager of Public Employment Services Office (PESO) of this town, said this is the provincial government’s one way of honoring the modern heroes of the present time.
“The provincial government wanted our OFWs and their families to be happy and have fun in time for the Christmas celebration in the country,” she said in an interview Monday,
OFWs and their families are from Mangaldan, Manaoag, and San Fabian.
Rosario said the attendees participated in parlor games, singing and dance contests, with raffle prizes and give-aways, among others.
“This was sponsored by the provincial government. The fun fair is an annual event for the OFWs and their dependents. But this time, it was held by district to accommodate their numbers and serve them better,” she said.
In his speech, Governor Amado Espino III told the participants that the provincial government would augment products to the Bigasang Bayani of the OFW family associations in the three towns –Mangaldan, Manaoag and San Fabian.
Bigasang-Bayani, which was piloted in the said towns, is a joint livelihood support undertaking of provincial government through its Bantay Barangay, Tulong-Hanapbuhay Program and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) under its Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program, the Provincial Information Office said in an earlier statement.
Meanwhile, Mayor Bonafe Parayno of this town said she fully understands the situation of each and every OFW family, as she expressed her support for their welfare and recognized their big role in the local economy.
