Abra Vice Governor Maria Jocelyn Valera-Bernos has extended her appreciation to President and Agriculture Secretary Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for its commitment to improve the lives of its farmers and fisherfolks of the province through the various programs and projects of the agriculture department.
In the 36th Founding anniversary activity of the Cordillera Administrative Region in Apayao, Bernos explained that in terms of agriculture, the Marcos administration has provided the province with various programs benefiting the farmers and fisherfolks belonging to Farmers Associations and Cooperatives (FAC) and Irrigators Associations (IA).
“If ever we become an autonomous region, I think that it would be the best decision for everyone because if we will be allotted with ten billion and divide that among the six provinces and two cities, this will be a big help like for the province of Abra and the Cordillera region in terms of the various agricultural programs of government. In this administration, the DA and other agencies of government have prioritized our farmers and fisherfolks in Abra and the region,” Bernos said.
Just recently,17 municipalities in the Province of Abra has been identified by the Department of Agriculture Cordillera (DA-CAR) Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) as one of 27 provinces nationwide to be a beneficiary of the Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) project of the government having a total cost of P128.8 million divided into three components of the said project.
The FishCoRe project is a seven-year World Bank-funded project that prioritizes a comprehensive approach to fisheries governance, with a focus on the social and ecological dimensions of the Philippines Waters and its resources, committed to using a science-based, participatory, and transparent framework.
Aside from the FishCoRe program, 25 municipalities in Abra are also covered under Phase II of the Department of Agriculture Cordillera-Special Area for Agriculture Development (DA-CAR SAAD) that provides agriculture intervention to identify the poorest of the poor farmers and fisherfolks.
SAAD is a locally-funded program of the DA which aims to help alleviate poverty among the marginalized sectors of agriculture and fishery.