SANTA MARCELA, Apayao – A total of 421 farmers and fisherfolks receive cash assistance of Php 10,000 each through the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolks, and Families (PAFFF) payout program held on August 20 in EKB Gymnasium, Santa Marcela.
The beneficiaries are from the municipalities of Santa Marcela and Flora.
PAFFF is the financial aid program of the Office of the President to the farmers and fishermen in the country who have been impacted by the El Nino.
Under the PAFFF, each beneficiary, verified by the Department of Agriculture (DA) will get a cash aid of P10,000 with a limit of 5,000 recipients per province.
The payout program is part of the ongoing disbursement caravan of the Provincial Government of Apayao (PGA) from the Php50 million awarded by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. during his visit to the province on July 19.
It can be recalled that Apayao and four other provinces in the region received Php50 million each, while provinces of Abra and Benguet received P34.520 million and P29.740 million, respectively.
The El Nino phenomenon affected the country from last year until the second quarter of this year. The DA – CAR has recorded damages and losses to livestock and crop output of Php1.2 billion, affecting at least 20,000 farmers and fishers in the Cordillera.
Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer (PSWDO) Ms. Jocelyn Loyon said that the Php50 million funding of this PAFFF payout caravan is different from the Php100 million granted to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
“Naifund transfer daytoy nga pondo directly to the provincial government isu nga makita yu nga taga PSWDO ken taga capitol iti agi-award kanyayu,” she said.
Loyon reiterated the guidelines of PAFFF to the recipients and stated that the provincial government will adhere to the list provided by the DA regardless of economic standing or whether the recipients are social pensioners or beneficiaries of other government programs.
“Uray man nu senior ka, nu 4Ps beneficiary ka, uray man nu empleyado da ka iti gobyerno wennu politiko ka, basta adda lakitdi iti nairefer nga nagan mo nga naapektaran iti El Nino, ma-accommodate ka,” she explained.
“Nu nakaala kayon idiay immuna nga payout, or sia sino man nga miembro iti pamilyam, saan kayon makaala tatta,” Loyon added.
Similar payout activities were likewise carried out in Calanasan and in Upper Apayao municipalities the previous week.
The PGA will also conduct payout for residents of Luna and Pudtol the following days. By Jess Christley Marquez
