ILOILO CITY (PIA) — The Office of the President earmarked up to P50 million per province in the country that is seen to propel recovery from the impact of the El Niño among severely hit farmers, fisherfolk, and families through the Presidential Assistance for Farmers, Fisherfolk and Families (PAFFF).
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. will lead the distribution on June 27 of the PAFFF among the identified farmers and fisherfolk severely affected by the effects of the El Niño phenomenon in Western Visayas.
As part of the recovery efforts of the government, a total of 61,171 beneficiaries throughout the region will receive P10,000 each.
With up to P50 million fund allocation for each province under the Office of the President, there were 5,023 recipients of unconditional cash assistance for Aklan; 7,067 beneficiaries for Antique; 8,293 beneficiaries for Capiz; 1,841 for Guimaras; 30,632 for Iloilo; and 8,315 for Negros Occidental.
According to Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Assistant Secretary for Television Dale De Vera during a press briefing, the PAFFF beneficiaries, who officially declared themselves as severely affected by El Niño, have undergone verification and validation through the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The list was crossmatched with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to ensure that recipients were not under its list of beneficiaries from its other programs.
Likewise, the PCO clarified that those exceeding the allocated budget per province will be covered with assistance from the DSWD through its Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) and Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program, among others.
“As this is a multi-government approach, those who will exceed the P50 million allocation from the Office of the President will be complemented by other agencies under their various programs,” said De Vera.
To note, each province will be given 30 days to distribute the assistance and submit their liquidations to the Office of the President.
The PAFFF is an unconditional cash assistance to augment farmers and fisherfolk to recover from the economic losses due to El Niño.
Reports from the DA indicate that the phenomenon has caused approximately P2.9 billion in losses across the region. Over 84,181 farmers and about 122,702 hectares of farmland have also been adversely affected by the dry conditions.
Additionally, 74 LGUs in Western Visayas have declared calamity states due to the prolonged dry conditions and water shortage. (ED/AAL/AGP/PIA 6)
