The Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa program is temporarily suspended to give way for the government to transport the locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in Metro Manila to their respective hometowns.
According to BP2 Program Director and National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Marcelino Escalada Jr., it is more important to give attention to the stranded individuals since they do not have the financial capacity to stay in Metro Manila.
The decision of the BP2 council is in accordance with President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s directive to help the LSIs. The suspension of the BP2 program shall be indefinite since it will depend on the resumption of operations of transportation terminals.
However, NHA GM Marcelino believes that the number of LSIs in Metro Manila will decrease next week.
He also clarifies that the BP2 program is different from the Hatid Tulong program of the government. The former is for individuals who want to go back to their respective provinces and stay there for good while the latter is for LSIs who cannot return to their hometowns due to the lack of transportation.
The Hatid Tulong program will stop once public transportation is available. – Report from Bea Bernardo
