The city council approved on first reading an ordinance seeking to provide for interest-free loans to farmers and vendors in the city who have been affected by the ongoing implementation of the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine to help them “go back to their normal lives” once the community quarantine is lifted.
The proposed ordinance authored by all city council members specifies that only farmers registered with the City Veterinary Office (CVO) and vendors registered with the City Market Authority (CMA) shall be allowed to avail of this grant.
Once approved, the ordinance shall grant a zero-interest loan not exceeding the amount of P5,000.00 to farmers and vendors to be used as their start-up capital.
The ordinance notes that the cancellation of this year’s Panagbenga Festival and all summer events which could have drawn tourists to the city has “ultimately affected the income of farmers and vendors alike.”
The ordinance states that there have been less or no sales of vegetables since the start of the ECQ as these have either been sold at very low prices or given for free, thus depleting the capital of farmers and vendors.
According to a partial survey conducted by the Agricultural Services Division of the CVO, there are 1,582 farmers in 16 barangays as stated in City Council Resolution No. 92, Series of 2020 (Declaring Agriculture as the Main activity of Identified Barangays in the City of Baguio).
The CVO and the CMA shall prepare the guidelines and schemes for the provision of the said loan within one week after the approval of the ordinance.
The ordinance stipulates that an amount of 5-Million shall be appropriated from any available fund of the city for the purpose.
Upon approval, the Agricultural Services Division of the CVO and the market supervisor of the City Treasury Office shall be tasked to implement the ordinance and shall submit to the Sanggunian the number of farmers and vendors who have availed of the loan.
The proposed ordinance was referred to the Committee on Market, Trade and Commerce, and Agriculture of the Sangguniang Panlungsod for review following its approval on first reading. **Jordan G. Habbiling
