RECOVERY AID. The Department of Agriculture-Cordillera turns over supplies worth PHP20 million to the provincial government of Benguet on Wednesday (Dec. 20, 2023). The aid will benefit over 8,000 farmers affected by Super Typhoon Egay that hit the region and many parts of Luzon last September. (PNA photo courtesy of DA-CAR)
BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Agriculture in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DA-CAR) said at least 8,399 Benguet farmers affected by super typhoon "Egay" will benefit from the PHP20 million worth of supplies.
In an interview on Thursday, Lito Mocati of the DA-CAR Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said the beneficiaries, identified by municipal governments, are those whose farms were affected by Super Typhoon “Egay” that hit many parts of northern Luzon last September.
The provincial government received the assistance, which includes various high-value crop vegetable seeds, 368 rolls of high-density polyethelene (HDPE) pipes, 742 rolls of polyethylene plastic sheets, 308 sachets of soil ameliorants and 1,770 ready-to-lay chickens on Wednesday and will be distributed by the end of this month.
Of the PHP20 million allocation which came from DA-CAR’s quick response fund, PHP18 million was used to procure high-value crops, PHP1.1 million for rice and PHP937,000 for livestock.
The Cordillera documented an estimated loss of PHP1.3 billion in agriculture due to the weather disturbance.
Meanwhile, the DA-CAR and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) turned over PHP2.4 million worth of agricultural inputs to beneficiaries in Madaymen, Kibungan, Benguet and in Guinaoang, Mankayan, Benguet on Dec. 18 under the Sustainable and Inclusive Peace and Transformation (SIPAT) project.
SIPAT project specifically created for the region to provide livelihood opportunities for the members of Cordillera Bodong Administration–Cordillera People’s Liberation Army (CBA-CPLA) and communities who suffered from years of armed conflict. (PNA)
