A total of ₱70 million worth of assistance, both in cash and in kind, were out by various national government agencies for some 220 local farmers and fisherfolk in Oriental Mindoro in the Post-SONA Forum on Thursday, October 10.
The agencies involved are Department of Agriculture (DA) and its attached agencies including the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), Department of Agrarian Reform, and National Irrigation Administration (NIA).
Director General Katherine Chloe De Castro of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) said that the forum is brought to different provinces to extend assistance of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. through various agencies.
“Nag-iikot sa iba’t ibang probinsya para magsagawa ng Post SONA forum para iparating ang mga magagandang protekto ng ating pangulo,” said De Castro.
DA provided African Swine Fever indemnification under QRF Batch 1 worth ₱1.4 million for 20 beneficiaries. PCIC also extended ₱191, 985 worth of indemnification to 20 recipients.
Some 80 locals received tilapia fingerlings and 50 gill nets worth ₱216,852 from BFAR. Around ₱680,000 worth of land titles and enhanced meat facility were distributed by DAR to 50 beneficiaries, and 50 farmers received certificate of condonation operation and maintenance subsidy from NIA amounting to ₱67.6 million.
Jocelyn Davales, one of the recipients, believed that the intervention of BFAR will help improve their fishing livelihood to meet ends of their family.
“Kapag talagang nakakahuli ay malaking tulong sa kagaya namin na nangingisda rin. Ang kapisan ko na lang sa bahay ay isa, pero ‘yong mga apo ko ay binibigyan pa rin namin,” she said.
Assistant Secretary for Logistics of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Daniel Alfonso Atayde emphasized the critical role played by farmers and fishermen who benefitted from the interventions.
“Sa inyong mga kamay nakasalalay ang pagkain ng bansa. Ayon sa pangulo, ang sektor ng agrikultura ang tagapagtaguyod ng bansa, kritikal ang role,” Atayde said.
The programs implemented in provinces are also aligned with the direction of the national agency, he added.
During the event, where a service caravan was likewise done, the locals also availed the ₱29 per kilogram rice which was sold by NIA through its Kadiwa ng Pangulo program.
There were also services provided onsite through booths of various agencies such as Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, Social Security System (SSS), and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
MIMAROPA is the second region that conducted a Post-SONA forum after Sultan Kudarat in Region XII last month. (RG/PIA MIMAROPA-Palawan)
