BY GENALYN KABILING
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PRESIDENT Duterte yesterday endorsed the proposed “Balik-Probinsya” (back to the province) program and directed authorities to extend transportation aid to people willing to move out of Metro Manila once the quarantine measures are lifted.
The proposed relocation of people from congested urban centers to their home provinces is a good idea since it will bring a sense of hope amid the pandemic, according to the President.
Sen. Christopher Go had earlier appealed to the government to provide incentives and livelihood assistance to people who want to return to provinces as soon as it lifts the quarantine measures due to the coronavirus outbreak. The proposal seeks to decongest Metro Manila and other urban areas as the government struggles to curb the spread of the disease.
“Maganda ‘yan Bong. Go home to the province. They have the means of going back there. There is a promise kasi kung what you would give them is hope. Importante ‘yan,” the President said.
“If they go there, some of them might really leave the city of Manila or its environs with a heavy heart but we have to provide transportation. What is important is we give them hope,” he said during the meeting with the government task force on the coronavirus response.
Prior to the President’s remarks, Go urged the government to consider the Balik-Probinsya program in the preparations for the “new normal” arising from the pandemic.
He noted that the congestion of Metro Manila and other urban centers has led to the fast spread of the coronavirus and slowed down the distribution of relief aid to affected communities.
“As soon as the enhanced community quarantine is lifted and travel is gradually normalized, the government must encourage Filipino families to move out of Metro Manila and other metropolitan areas,” Go said during the meeting with the President.