About 6,000 farmers and fisherfolk in Benguet province are set to receive at least Php29,342,000.00 worth of cash assistance and fuel discount from the Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR). Said assistance is part of the approved Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) Phase II and the Fuel Discount Program for corn farmers and fisherfolk.
DA-CAR Regional Executive Director Cameron Odsey, DA-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) – CAR Regional Director Lilibeth Signey, and Fisherfolk Director Osmena Lampitao led the Ceremonial Launching and provincial orientation of stakeholders today, May 6, in Tinongdan, Itogon, Benguet.
Itogon is a convergence municipality that covers rice farming, corn farming, and fishing, hence, the activity pushed through in the said town. Fisherfolk representatives from the nearby municipality of Bokod also joined the activity.
Certificates of Award were presented to the identified beneficiary representatives for the fuel discount program while symbolic Interventions Monitoring Card (IMC) were presented to the RFFA beneficiary representatives.
Dir. Odsey, in his message, assured that the DA along with its attached bureaus and agencies will continue to support the farmers and fisherfolk. Hence, he encouraged them, especially those who have already received various interventions from the government to value such interventions because it is uncertain whether similar programs will be offered again in the coming years.
DA-CAR Rice Program Coordinator Edwin Franco oriented the participants on the RCEF-RFFA. Accordingly, the assistance targets small rice farmers who are tilling or owning a rice field of two hectares and below. Each beneficiary will receive Php5, 000.00 unconditional cash assistance which further aims to provide temporary relief to eligible farmers throughout the Rice Tarrification Law implementation.
Franco emphasized that to date, there are 1.9 Million eligible rice farmers registered and encoded in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) nationwide, hence, a prioritization criteria was put in place as the available funding can only accommodate 1.8 Million farmers. There are 87,662 target beneficiaries in CAR with a budget of Php438, 310,000.00. At least 5,000 beneficiaries will be from Benguet province.
The highest priority is given for those eligible rice farmers who have not yet received cash assistance from the RCEF-RFFA that was distributed in 2021. The intervention shall also be channeled through the Development Bank of the Philippines and their partner financial technology institution.
Meanwhile, the Fuel Discount Program for corn farmers is intended for corn farmers who have registered functional machineries. Similarly for the fisherfolks, they should have functional motorized motorboats as a primary requirement to avail of the Program. Under the Program, the beneficiaries are given a 30% fuel discount upon purchase of gasoline or diesel from partner oil companies. They can avail of up to a maximum of Php3, 000.00 worth of fuel discount per beneficiary.
For Benguet, the expected beneficiaries are at least 40 corn farmers and 60 fisherfolks.
The list of beneficiaries for farmers was based on the RSBSA registration database while the fisherfolk target was based on the FishR or fisheries Registration and the Boat and Gear Registration database. These databases are being managed by the Da-Central Office. Hence, the DA-CAR encouraged the farmers and fisherfolk who are not yet registered to comply since these registrations particularly the RSBSA is now a basic requirement in availing of agricultural; interventions.
Federico Jose, a fisherfolk from Ambuklao in Bokod, thanked the DA-CAR Management for being one of the identified beneficiaries. “Salamat ta saan kayo nga mauma nga mangtultulong kadakami (Thank you because you does not get tired in helping us),” he said.
An open forum followed to raise issues and concerns related to the agri-fishery programs of the government. Among the topics raised were the RSBSA registration, African Swine Fever (ASF) biosecurity measures and possible assistance to affected farmers, and the price increase in fertilizers, among others. These were duly answered and clarified by the DA-CAR key personnel/focal persons.
To date, the allocated funds are set to be downloaded to the DA from the Department of Budget and Management. Finalization of masterlist of beneficiaries based on the prioritization and qualification criteria is also underway**/DA-CAR Press Release
