Photo courtesy of Che Palicte/PNA
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. distributed agricultural assistance worth Php 132.9 million to farmers and fisherfolk in Davao de Oro as part of the government’s efforts to boost food production and rural livelihoods.
The package included a rice combine harvester, a four-wheel tractor, high-density polyethylene pipes for vegetable irrigation, and four motorized fiberglass boats.
The Department of Agriculture also provided 15,000 tilapia fingerlings, more than 24,000 bags of certified inbred and hybrid rice seeds, and fertilizer for corn production projects benefiting farmers, irrigators’ associations and registered fisherfolk across the province.
DA Davao Region Director Macario Gonzaga said the assistance was intended to strengthen agricultural productivity while helping farming and fishing communities become more resilient.
The agency also rolled out its Kadiwa Benteng Bigas Meron Na! program during the event, distributing 14,000 kilograms of affordable rice to qualified beneficiaries.
Gervacio Carreon, president of the Lateral B and C Farmers Irrigators Association in New Bataan, welcomed the turnover of a tractor, saying the equipment would reduce members’ dependence on costly private operators for land preparation.
Unified Fisherfolk Association president Anecito Bacalso said the group’s new motorized fiberglass boat would make fishing and the transport of their catch more efficient compared with their previous non-motorized vessel.
Governor Raul Mabanglo thanked Marcos for the assistance, saying the visit marked the first time a sitting Philippine president had visited the Davao de Oro Provincial Capitol.
