Photo courtesy of DA-1
A total of 254,707 farmers and fishers in the Ilocos Region had received financial assistance under the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk (PAFF) Program as of July 13, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday.
DA Ilocos project evaluation officer Milagros Dela Rosa said the number represented beneficiaries who had already claimed their assistance out of the program’s target of 318,942 recipients across the region.
Pangasinan recorded the highest number of recipients, with 119,869 beneficiaries receiving aid out of 145,183 validated individuals. In La Union, 45,830 of the 46,566 validated beneficiaries had claimed their assistance.
Meanwhile, 69,856 recipients in Ilocos Sur had already received their cash grants out of 71,805 validated beneficiaries. In Ilocos Norte, authorities had processed 19,152 beneficiaries from a validated list of 55,388.
Each qualified beneficiary received Php 2,325 under the program, which was rolled out to help farmers and fishers cope with the effects of rising fuel prices linked to the crisis in the Middle East.
Dela Rosa said some beneficiaries had yet to claim their assistance, prompting the agency to conduct another round of validation. She said the DA would coordinate with local government units to notify eligible recipients and facilitate the release of the remaining cash grants.
Several beneficiaries said the financial assistance would help cover immediate household and farming needs. One farmer from Mangatarem, Pangasinan, said he planned to use the money to buy fuel for water pumps needed during the El Niño season, while another recipient from San Carlos City said the aid would help his family manage daily expenses.
A beneficiary from Bayambang also said the assistance would be spent on medicines and farm seedlings, adding that the grant came at a time when their household needed additional financial support.