About 3,000 individuals in Romblon province are set to receive financial aid from the government on Thursday, July 18, in response to the adverse impacts of the El Niño phenomenon.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will lead the distribution, accompanied by other high-ranking government officials.
This initiative is part of the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolks, and their Families (PAFFF), which aims to mitigate the effects of El Niño on agriculture and fisheries, crucial sectors for the livelihoods of many Romblomanons. This is the first time the Office of the President will distribute PAFFF to MIMAROPA residents.
DSWD Romblon team leader Abegail Fetilo disclosed that the current number of PAFFF beneficiaries is just the first batch of the 10,000 target beneficiaries of the program across the province.
For this batch, farmers and fishers that will receive aid will come from the towns of Odiongan, Ferrol, and San Andres, including William Faigao, a 60-year-old farmer from Barangay Gabawan, Odiongan, Romblon. Faigao is among the farmers in the town who were affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
In an interview with PIA Romblon, he shared that he lost more than ₱25,000 on his rice field. Before El Niño, he could harvest 60 sacks of rice, but during the last harvest season, they only got 18 sacks, which was only enough for their family and not for selling to the public.
“Karakong bulig kali sa ako kasi bilang usang farmer, ingwa ako it magagamit nak pambakay it abono at iba pang bagay sa ako pagsasaka, wala naman kasi talaga akong pambili,” Faigao told PIA Romblon in ASI language.
[This help is very important to me because as a farmer, I can use it to buy fertilizer and other things for my farming needs. I don’t have the money to buy these items otherwise.]
During a media briefing last July 15 in Romblon, Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama of the Presidential Communications Office said that each beneficiary will receive ₱10,000 in cash assistance under the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP), a recently launched program by the DSWD designed to provide social assistance to individuals who may not have access to regular forms of aid because they do not belong to the poorest population.
Villarama says that the P10,000 aid received by the farmers and fisherfolks should be received in full and not reduced by government officials.
“This aid from the Office of the President should be fully utilized by those affected by El Niño. If someone receives ₱10,000, it should remain entirely with them,” according to Villarama, recalling a recent incident where a barangay official allegedly deducted a portion of a beneficiary’s aid.
PBBM will also lead the distribution of the same aid to PAFFF beneficiaries in the province of Palawan on Thursday. (PJF/PIA MIMAROPA-Romblon)
