Cash aid distribution for Iloilo farmers begins

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Iloilo provincial government has started distributing PHP 10,000 in financial assistance to farmers and fisherfolk affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

A total of over 2,800 beneficiaries in the first batch, hailing from the towns of Igbaras, Banate, Mina, Estancia, Calinog, Bingawan, Dingle, and Barotac Viejo, received their aid on July 26 at the Iloilo Sports Complex.

Present at the distribution event were Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, Provincial Agriculturist Dr. Ildefonso Toledo, Second District Board Member Rolito Cajilig, and Gareth Bayate, representing Department of Agriculture (DA) 6 Regional Director Dennis Arpia.

Toledo announced that the second batch of distributions is scheduled for next week to ensure proper crowd control.

The aid is part of the PHP50 million Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk (PAFF) fund handed over by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the Iloilo provincial government during his visit to Antique last month.

The Provincial Agriculture Office previously reported that over 11,000 farmers and fisherfolk have been adversely affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

Toledo said that out of the 11,376 affected farmers and fisherfolk from 22 municipalities, only 5,000 severely affected individuals have been selected to receive the assistance.

He explained that beneficiaries were chosen from a master list submitted by municipalities to the Department of Agriculture VI and subsequently endorsed to the Office of the President.

To qualify, municipalities must have been declared under a state of calamity by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), also considering the date and time of submission of the master list.

In a separate interview, Toledo informed that out of 22 municipalities, only 15 have declared a state of calamity.

Among these, only eight towns have qualified for the first tier of assistance, meeting both criteria: declaring a state of calamity and submitting their lists on time.

The remaining municipalities fall into the second tier, having submitted their lists on time.

Toledo expressed hope that the assistance would prove useful to the beneficiaries.

“We hope that this assistance will be beneficial for their work and will support their farming activities,” he said.

Alen, a beneficiary from Dingle, who has experienced a nearly 50% reduction in production due to the El Niño effect, expressed gratitude for the assistance.

“I am currently farming corn on a 2-hectare plot. With the financial assistance I receive, my priority will be to purchase fertilizer,” he said.

Banias, representing Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., stated in his message that additional funding has been requested from the national government to aid the remaining 6,376 affected individuals.