AGUINALDO, Ifugao – 26 primary beneficiaries from Aguinaldo, Ifugao have each received an amount of PhP 59,577,000 worth of agri-based livelihood assistance with a total of PhP 1,549,002 from the Department of Agriculture Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program during the turnover ceremony held on October 27, 2022.
The livelihood assistance is part of the farm diversification and livelihood development component of the BP2 Program which includes gilt crossbreeds, feeds, farm tools, and vegetable seeds.
DA-CAR Regional Executive Director Cameron P. Odsey noted that the program gives the recipients the chance to have a head start upon their return to their hometowns and urged them to take advantage of it and guarantee that the granted livelihood interventions will be used for their intended purposes. He also recommended them to be vigilant and report any unusual deaths or symptoms they noticed on the pigs they received as soon as possible to the Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO), given the imminent cases of the African Swine Fever (ASF).
Meanwhile, Mayor Gaspar Chilagan, Jr. expressed his thanks to the agency for the interventions and remarked that the assistance they received is one of the fruits of the continuous good partnership of the municipal government and the DA-CAR. In order to prevent any issues in the future, he urged the program’s recipients to adhere to the guidelines provided.
According to Lito Mocati, the BP2 DA-CAR Focal Person, the provision of the program is an interagency endeavor that began in October 2021 in accordance with Executive Order No. 114. It was put in place to help those who lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in urban areas. Further, he explained that the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Office of the National Housing Authority conducted assessments in order to determine who were qualified recipients.
Likewise, he mentioned that the agency will be monitoring the interventions given and challenged them to take it as an opportunity to generate income from the assistance so they can feed their families and soon can open employment to others in their community.
The activity was also witnessed by Congressman Solomon R. Chungalao, Municipal Agriculturist Robert P. Changwayan, Vice-mayor Tony L. Chilagan, DA-APCO Ifugao Charlemagne Monayao, and other municipal officials. By LDMendoza