THE national government extended to Batangas various forms of aid amounting to over P170-million in a ceremony led by President Fewrdinand R. Marcos Jr., Thursday morning.
The figure includes the P100,000 aid distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to needy Filipinos in the province. The amount could go a lot higher when assistance in the form of various government services are taken into account.
The President went to Batangas to implement his Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk and Families (PAFFF) program.
The program aims to help Batangueños affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
In his speech, the President reported that the agricultural sector in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (CALABARZON) region incurred PhP408.68 million in losses.
“Narito po ako ngayon, kasama ang mga iba [pang] opisyal ng pamahalaan upang ipaabot ang aming taus-pusong pasasalamat sa inyong sipag at pagpupunyagi,” the President said.
“Kami po ay mag-aabot ng kaunting tulong sa ating mga magsasaka, mangingisda, at kanilang mga pamilya na labis na naapektuhan ng El Niño,” he said.
The Chief Executive said presidential assistance amounting to PhP10,000 will be distributed to each of the beneficiaries in Batangas, Laguna, and Quezon. The Office of the President allotted PhP70.27 million for the assistance, he said.
Credit assistance was also allocated for AgriNegosyo beneficiaries. Under this aid, Batangas received PhP10 million while Quezon got PhP50 million. For its Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan Project, Tagakawayan in Quezon received P1 million.
The President said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will distribute PhP10,000 to each of the 10,000 beneficiaries of the AKAP Program. The agency will also extend PhP4.23 million cash assistance to 2,353 beneficiaries of the Supplementary Feeding Program.
On the other hand, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will distribute PhP28.95 million for 5,569 beneficiaries under its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program.
Through the Department of Agriculture (DA), farmers in the province shall receive fertilizers and seedlings of corn, palay, coconut, abacca, calamansi, and vegetables, the President said.
Several tractors, a hauling truck, a combine harvester, a rice thresher, a grain collector bagger, a corn husker sheller, a hammer mill, a forage chopper, a cassava grater and chipper, a recirculating dryer, solar-powered irrigation systems, and pump and engine sets for irrigation will be distributed, he added.
“Ito po ay dahil binibigyan natin po ng pagkakataon ang ating magsasaka na hindi na dinadala ang kanilang produkto, ang raw material kung tawagin para i-process sa ibang lugar,” President Marcos explained.
“Dito, sa paggamit nitong mga makinaryang ito ay kaya na mag-processing kahit small scale lang, kaya na mag-processing ang ating mga magsasaka, ang ating mangingisda,” he added.
The President said livestock raisers will receive 50 carabaos, several hauling trucks, and five Biosecured and Climate Controlled Finisher Operation facilities worth PhP24.69 million.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) will distribute boats, fish cages, and fishing tools. It will also provide a post-harvest technology package for smoking and bottling of Bangus and Batangas’ famous Tawilis products.
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will turnover 95 starter toolkits to 762 Special Training and Employment Project beneficiaries; Certificates of Scholarship to 3,382 beneficiaries; and Training Support Fund to 265 beneficiaries. TESDA booths were also set up for training program opportunities.
Speaker Martin Romualdez, for his part, distributed five kilos of rice to each of the beneficiaries.|- BALIKAS News
