GOV’T CASH AID. Camalig, Albay farmers receive PHP5,000 cash each from the Department of Agriculture at Camalig National High School in Barangay Ilawod on Tuesday (Feb. 8, 2022). The aid is under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance program. (PNA photo by Eliakim Neric-OJT)
LEGAZPI CITY – Farmers of Camalig town in Albay received PHP5,000 cash each from the Department of Agriculture (DA) in two separate payouts under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund – Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) program.
Town agriculturist Dante Alejandro said the recipients were 1,631 farmers, divided into two batches on Monday and Tuesday.
“Farmers who have submitted the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture or RSBSA, which also serves as proof that they own a rice [field] area, are the ones who are qualified to receive the cash assistance,” he said in an interview on Tuesday.
Recipients were required to present their valid identification documents and vaccination card at Camalig National High School in Barangay Ilawod.
Virginia Manreal, 65, of Barangay Del Rosario told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that she would use the cash assistance to buy pesticides and fertilizers to maintain the crop productivity of their rice farm.
Neriza Mandela, 36, a recipient from Barangay Comun said she can now buy rice, vitamins for her children, and fertilizers for their rice farm.
Like, Manreal, Mandela also thanked the DA.
“Maraming salamat po sa ibinigay nila na tulong sa amin. Isang napakalaking tulong po nito sa amin (Thank you for the assistance. This is a big help for us)," she said.
The distribution of the cash assistance began in Tabaco City on January 24 and is expected to finish within this month.
Under Republic Act No. 11230, or the Act Instituting a Philippine Labor Force Competencies Competitiveness Program and Free Access to Technical-Vocational Education and Training (Tulong-Trabaho Act), the RCEF-RFFA will help and support local farmers boost productivity through sustainable strategies. (PNA/With a report from Eliakim Neric-OJT)
