ILOILO — To mitigate the impact of inflation and the El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided P5,000 in financial assistance each to affected people in Sara and Carles towns.
The assistance benefited 462 members of the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) and 700 barangay tanods in Sara, as well as 1,000 farmers and fisherfolks in Carles.
The distribution of assistance over the weekend was led by DSWD Region 6 assistant director for administration Joselito G. Estember.
“Recognizing the hardships brought by inflation and El Niño, we decided to extend P5,000 to each beneficiary after a thorough assessment,” Estember said.
Prior to the distribution, DSWD-6 responded to requests from Cong. Raul Tupas (5th District) and Tingog Party-list’s Cong. Yedda Romualdez to assess the list of beneficiaries submitted for eligibility to receive the assistance.
A total of P10 million was allocated by DSWD for the financial aid, benefiting over 2,000 individuals from Sara and Carles.
Estember clarified that other towns in the 5th District had previously received the same amount of financial assistance.
Tupas highlighted the collaborative effort in compiling the list of beneficiaries, which was based on consultations with barangay officials.
He noted that the beneficiaries were groups often overlooked and received minimal assistance from the provincial government, despite facing significant risks in their daily tasks.
“For instance, the barangay tanods are always at risk during any community activity, and they are a vital presence,” Tupas explained. “Meanwhile, the drivers, fisherfolks, and farmers are severely affected now, as they are unable to operate tricycles, plant vegetables and rice, or fish due to the effects of El Niño.”/PN
