AFTER FOUR-MONTH DELAY: Antique farmers, fisherfolk to finally receive El Niño aid

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Farmers and fisherfolk in Antique affected by the El Niño phenomenon are set to receive long-awaited aid from the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk, and Families (PAFFF) program.

The distribution, scheduled to begin next week, comes nearly four months after PHP50 million in PAFFF funds were transferred to the provincial government in June.

The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) announced a three-day distribution event starting November 11, where 5,239 beneficiaries will receive their assistance.

“We must understand the long processing time. To all the beneficiaries, thank you for your patience and understanding. We tried very hard to expedite it, but unforeseen issues delayed the process,” Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao told the Daily Guardian on Wednesday.

Distribution will start at the EBJ Gym in San Jose de Buenavista, where beneficiaries from Anini-y, Tobias Fornier, Hamtic, Sibalom, Valderrama, and Barbaza will receive aid.

The event will continue on November 12 at the evacuation center in Bugasong for residents of Pandan, Sebaste, Culasi, Bugasong, Patnongon, Laua-an, and Tibiao, concluding on November 13 at the Municipal Civic Center in San Remigio.

Each PAFFF beneficiary will receive PHP10,000 to help alleviate the impact of the dry spell on their livelihoods.

Cadiao attributed the delay to two factors: the revalidation of the beneficiary list and the pending memorandum of agreement (MOA) at the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP).

Due to the delay, the OPA revalidated and resubmitted the initial list of beneficiaries to exclude those who are 4Ps beneficiaries or have already received other financial assistance.

In June, Antique initially reported 7,067 beneficiaries for PAFFF support.

“It took time due to rigorous verification of the beneficiary list, involving double-checks from the province, regional, and national levels,” Cadiao said.

She also noted that the suspension of eight SP members and lack of quorum contributed to delays in signing the MOA between the provincial government and the Department of Agriculture, which was necessary to release the funds.