President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. personally distributed on Thursday a total of PhP29.52 million in financial assistance to El Niño-affected farmers and fishermen in the provinces of Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental.
Davao del Sur Governor Yvonne Roña-Cagas received PhP19.52 million while Davao Occidental Vice Governor Lorna Bautista-Bandigan got PhP10 million from President Marcos.
Bringing the key government agencies with him, President Marcos personally visited the farmers and fisherfolk to see for himself that help from the state is reaching the beneficiaries.
“Kaya naman minabuti naming pumarito ngayon upang ipaalam sa inyo na hinding hindi namin kayo pababayaan. Ang pamahalaan ay nandito at laging handang umalalay at magbigay ng tulong, lalo na sa panahon ng kagipitan,” President Marcos said in his speech.
President Marcos said the Department of Agriculture (DA) is now studying programs and projects that will improve the irrigation system in the country. This will pave the way for the use of alternate wetting and drying technology, he said. The government also seeks to discover a climate resilient plant.
The DA provided a hybrid rice seed processing facility composed of a warehouse and four units of recirculating dryer, one unit of combine harvester, two farm tractors with implements, two hauling trucks and one seed cleaner under its Rice Program.
Under the Corn Program, the DA will provide three units of mechanical corn husker-sheller. The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), on the other hand, distributed coconut seedlings and fertilizers amounting to PhP3.57 million under the Coconut Hybridization Project.
The Technical Education And Skills Development Authority (TESDA) also provided toolkits for organic hogs and small ruminants under the Special Training for Employment Program. It extended PhP2,320 in financial allowance to 25 trainees of the organic agriculture production.
He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will also extend PhP10,000 in financial assistance to 10,000 beneficiaries of the province along with the PhP2.26 million in various assistance to 292 beneficiaries of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
President Marcos said PhP2.93 million was also provided by the DOLE to 621 beneficiaries for its Tulong Panghanapbuhay Sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program while the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also provided various assistance. The office of House Speaker Martin Romualdez gave rice assistance to famers and fisherfolk. PND
