El Niño hit CALABARZON communities get P351M govt aid

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PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday continued with the government’s distribution of financial aid and other assistance to communities, especially farmers and fisherfolks, affected by El Niño as he handed over more than P351.14 million worth of cash and agricultural-related assistance in Batangas and Cavite.

The President, during his visit to San Jose in Batangas, distributed a check for P24.040 million to the provincial government of Batangas; P17.42 million to Laguna; and P28.81 million to Quezon.

He also handed cash assistance amounting to P10,000 each to 30 select beneficiaries from Batangas, Laguna and Quezon on top of the farm machineries, equipment, fiber boats, seeds, and fishing cages, among others that were turned over to farmer beneficiaries from the three provinces.

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The farm equipment and other logistics were part of the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Rice Program, Corn Program, High Value Crops Development Program, National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program, Livestock Program and Organic Agriculture Program.

Also distributed were 50 carabaos, several hauling trucks, and five Biosecured and Climate Controlled Finisher Operation facilities worth P24.69 million.

Credit assistance was also allocated for AgriNegosyo beneficiaries from Batangas worth P10 million and from Quezon worth P50 million; and for the Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan Project beneficiaries in Tagkawayan in Quezon worth P1 million.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) also distributed boats, fish cages, and fishing tools and provided post-harvest technology package for smoking and bottling of “bangus” and Batangas’ famous “tawilis” products, while the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) distributed business kits and starter toolkits.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), distributed P10,000 each to 10,000 beneficiaries under its Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) program while P4.23 million cash assistance were distributed to 2,353 beneficiaries of the DSWD’s Supplementary Feeding Program.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) distributed P28.95 million for 5,569 beneficiaries under its Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) turned over 95 starter toolkits to 762 Special Training and Employment Project beneficiaries, certificates of scholarship to 3,382 beneficiaries, and training support fund to 265 beneficiaries.

The Office of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez also distributed five kilos of rice to each attendee.

From Batangas, the President proceeded to Dasmariñas in Cavite where he handed over financial aid amounting to P12.36 million to Cavite and P14.51 million to Rizal.

Marcos also handed P10,000 in cash assistance to 20 select beneficiaries, or 10 each, from Cavite and Rizal.

Similar aid from DA, DSWD, DTI, DOLE, TESDA and the BFAR were also distributed to beneficiaries from the two provinces along with five kilos of rice from the Office of the Speaker to attendees of the event.

The aids include the P2.17 million cash under DOLE’s TUPAD program that benefited 418 people form Cavite and Rizal, and P1.02 million under its Integrated Livelihood Program that benefited 50 people; and P28.20 million worth of TESDA scholarships along with P251,696 worth of starter kits and P141,000 Training Support Fund.

DSWD distributed P10,000 in financial assistance to 12,000 beneficiaries in Cavite under AKAP while DTI provided aid through its One Town One Product Next Gen Program, Coconut Farmers Industry Development Fund, and Kapatid Mentor Me Program.

The President, in both events, said the cash aid under the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk and Families (PAFFF) program aims to help those affected by the El Niño.

Marcos said reports he received showed that damage to the agricultural sector in the Calabarzon region has reached P408.68 million.

“Narito po ako ngayon, kasama ang mga iba [pang] opisyal ng pamahalaan upang ipaabot ang aming taus-pusong pasasalamat sa inyong sipag at pagpupunyagi. Kami po ay mag-aabot ng kaunting tulong sa ating mga magsasaka, mangingisda, at kanilang mga pamilya na labis na naapektuhan ng El Niño (I am here, together with the other officials of government to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your hard work and effort. We are extending assistance to the farmers, fisherfolks and their families who were affected by El Niño),” he said in Batangas.

He also affirmed his administration’s commitment to complete ongoing infrastructure projects in Calabarzon, highlighting that P10 billion has been used for the Philippine Rural Development Plan of the region from 2023 to 2024.

He said among the project in the region are the Taal Lake Circumferential Road and the Lobo Malabrigo – San Juan Laiya Road in Batangas; the Quipot Irrigation Project and Macalelon Irrigation Project in Quezon; the Light Rail Transit-1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension project and the Cavite Industrial Area Flood Risk Management Project in Cavite; and the South Luzon Expressway -Mamplasan interchange in Laguna.

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He said another infrastructure project is the Cavite-Laguna Expressway- Cavite Segment and South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 4 in Cavite and Laguna.

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