More than PhP20 million in financial assistance were personally distributed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday to farmers and fisherfolk affected by the El Niño phenomenon in the provinces of Tawi-Tawi and Basilan.

President Marcos handed over PhP10 million check assistance each to Tawi-Tawi Governor Yshmael Sali and Basilan Governor Hadjiman Salliman-Hataman while farmers and fishermen received PhP10,000 each.

In his speech during the aid distribution, President Marcos said the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was placed under state of calamity due to El Niño.

“Nais kong ipaalam sa inyo na nagsisikap ang inyong pamahalaan upang mabawasan ang tindi ng epekto nito sa ating pang araw-araw na buhay,” President Marcos said.

“Saksi ako sa sipag at galing ninyo. Kaya asahan ninyong patuloy kaming magsisikap upang maibigay sa inyo ang nararapat na serbisyo at alaga upang makamit ninyo ang inyong mga pangarap sa buhay,” he told the crowd at DepEd compound in Bongao, Tawi-tawi.

Around 80 members of the House of Representatives led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez also joined the President in the event that also coincided with the Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair, a program that brings frontline services and aid to marginalized communities all over the country.

President Marcos expressed gratitude to farmers, fisherfolk and their families for their sacrifices to ensure food security in the country.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) also distributed PhP10,000 each to 10,000 beneficiaries composed of farmers, fisherfolk, and their families.

The Office of the House Speaker, on the other hand, distributed five kilos of rice to each attendee.

Other participating agencies include the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Department of Agriculture (DA). | PND