BACOLOD City – A total of 61,171 beneficiaries in Western Visayas will receive cash assistance through President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’ Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk (PAFF) program, today.
President Marcos himself will lead the ceremonial distribution in Antique for the Panay Island beneficiaries and in Bacolod City for Negros Occidental beneficiaries, according to Presidential Communication Office (PCO) assistant secretary Dale De Vera.
Here is the breakdown of the beneficiaries per province: Aklan – 5,023; Antique – 7,067; Capiz – 8,293; Guimaras – 1,841; Iloilo – 30,632; and Negros Occidental – 8,315.
The PAFF aims to help farmers and fisherfolk who were the most vulnerable to the effects of the months-long El Niño phenomenon.
“As we all know, agriculture is not only for those who are planting crops but it also includes fisherfolk,” said De Vera.
Each beneficiary will receive P10,000.
In Antique, in addition to the cash assistance, the Department of Agriculture will also distribute farm inputs to identified beneficiaries.
Antique’s Gov. Rhodora Cadiao expressed her overwhelming gratitude to the President for choosing Antique for the ceremonial distribution.
“I was supposed to receive the check in Iloilo, but at the last minute, I was informed that he [the President] decided to personally distribute the assistance in Antique,” said Cadiao.
Aside from the PAFFF distribution, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos will also be in Bacolod City today to grace the “LAB for All” project, an initiative designed to provide essential healthcare services to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.
The project, which stands for “Laboratoryo, Konsulta at Gamot Para sa Lahat,” is a collaboration involving government agencies, local government units, and the private sector.
About 1,500 beneficiaries are expected to benefit from this program./PN
