DOH Caraga
distributes ambulances to health facilities, hospitals
By Doreen Marielle N. Rosales
BUTUAN CITY, May 3 (PIA) -- The Department of Health (DOH) Caraga
distributed ambulances to different health facilities and hospitals in Caraga
region.
Nine Rural Health Units (RHUs), city health office, and city and
provincial hospitals across the region received one unit of ambulance. Two
units were given to the province of Agusan del Norte, each distributed to Las
Nieves Municipal Hospital and city health office of Cabadbaran City. Two
units were also given to the province of Agusan del Sur which were distributed
to the RHUs in the municipalities of San Luis and Trento.
Three units were given to the province of Surigao del Norte, which were
given to its provincial hospital and RHUs in Claver and Malimono towns. The
province of Surigao del Sur also received one unit which was given to the RHU
in Cortes while another one was given to Butuan City which was given to Butuan
Medical Center.
In a virtual interview with DOH Caraga regional director Dr. Jose
Llacuna, Jr., he clarified that the vehicle units were acquired by the agency
through the bidding conducted last year and not necessarily to better the
health response amid the pandemic.
However, the arrival of the vehicles could not have been better, as
these will be used especially by the RHUs in the region, which serves as the
only access for locals in far-flung areas to basic health care services.
“The vehicle units will definitely help with the health response in
Caraga, more so that we are now facing a great health crisis,” Dr. Llacuna
added.
The health department is awaiting for the second batch of ambulances
which comprises of 16 units. (DMR/PIACaraga)
DA distributes ₱178 Million cash aid to Caraga rice farmers
By Rhea A. Abao
BUTUAN CITY, May 3 -- To ease the challenges of the rice farmers who are
affected by the low palay prices last year the Department of Agriculture (DA) -
Caraga distributed the ₱5,000 cash aid to each of the qualified
rice farmers in the Caraga region.
The DA’s Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) Program started the
distribution of cash grants in partnership with the Development Bank of the
Philippines last January 28, this year.
Around 19,278 rice farmers in the region had already received the said assistance
with a total of ₱96.4 million cash support.
Rice farmers who are tilling 0.5 hectares to two hectares of land and
registered in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) are
the beneficiaries of the program.
For the province of Agusan del Norte a total of 4,637 rice farmers
received the cash assistance in the 4 municipalities and the cities of
Cabadbaran and Butuan. In the province of Agusan del Sur around 5,468 received
the financial aid from the 12 municipalities and Bayugan City.
On the other hand, Surigao del Sur reaches 5,018 eligible farmers from
the 16 CashAidmunicipalities and Tandag City. For the province of Surigao del
Norte 17 municipalities and Surigao City benefitted the financial support with
a corresponding total of 4,155 beneficiaries.
"RFFA is the Department’s aid to the rice farmers severely affected
by the sudden drop of the buying price of palay when the Rice Tarrification Law
(RTL) was enacted. Its benefits and positive results will soon be experienced
in the coming years as the RTL’s long-term twin goals are to provide affordable
prices to consumers while raising the income of our rice farmers," said
DA-Caraga Regional Executive Director Abel James I. Monteagudo.
Despite the restrictions brought about by the pandemic, DA-Caraga
together with the support of the Local Government Units (LGU) managed to
distribute the needed financial assistance to the farmers and help them as they
also go through difficult times due to the restrictions of movement during
community quarantine.
Joseph M. Libres, 47, a rice farmer from P-5 Barangay Humilog, RTR,
Agusan del Norte said he will use the amount to buy food, and if there still
some he will also buy fertilizers for his one-hectare rice area. "The cash
assistance is a big help for my family and for my continuous production of
local rice," Libres said.
“We are grateful for the unceasing and steadfast support of the LGUs.
Since the start of this endeavor, they have been on the same page with us.
Complying with the requirements needed to facilitate approval to fast track
releases, our LGUs are indeed important partners in carrying out this program,”
Director Monteagudo added.
Aside from the unconditional cash transfer provided by the DA, other
financial aids such as Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Assistance payable in
10 years with zero interest and the Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement
Fund (ACEF) with low interest is also made available to farmers to help finance
farming needs.
The distribution of cash aid still continues until the 38,000 target
eligible rice farmers in the region receive the support. (DA Caraga-RAFIS/PIA
Caraga)
DA Caraga to
establish P445 million worth of FMR projects
By Fretcher Magatao
BUTUAN CITY, May 3 -- The Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) of
the Regional Development Council (RDC) approves for endorsement to the RDC the
Department of Agriculture (DA) - Caraga's P445 million worth of 28
farm-to-market road (FMR) projects all over the region this year.
The said FMRs are “For Later Release (FLR)” or the targets under
DBM-evaluated Budget Execution Documents (BEDs) for FY 2020 prepared and
submitted by the agencies through the Unified Reporting System (URS).
The FLR’s total budget is based on the proposed FMR projects from the
local government units. Agusan del Norte has the biggest allocation of P203,000
or equivalent to 10 FMR projects to be established to the identified areas of
the province.
“These projects will be implemented in rural areas across the region as
part of DA’s agenda to develop and improve logistics and the movement of goods
for the agriculture sector,” said Engr. Rene Morales, Chief of Regional
Agricultural Engineering Division (RAED).
The FMR project is under the Farm-to-Market Road Development Program
(FMRDP)that aims to support farmers in rural communities. The Program requires
the development of infrastructure support services including the rehabilitation
of existing and the construction of new rural roads.
In 2019, the dispense of intervention in the region through FMRDP
amounted to a total of P378 million equivalent to 23.12 km of ongoing and
completed FMRs which covers an approximate of 11,500 hectares of influence area
planted with various crops. It also records a total beneficiary of 5,385
farmers and fishers and generated jobs to 276 individuals.
This project will also allow the food producers to easily bring their
produce to the market or in trading areas where they may achieve maximum profit
from their production.
Morales said that DA is in partnership with the Department of Public
Works and Highways (DPWH) being the government agency designated as the
engineering and construction arm responsible for the planning, design, and
construction of infrastructure facilities.
The project is in line with the new thinking approach for agriculture
introduced by Agriculture Secretary William Dar to level-up productivity and
income in the agriculture sector. (DA13-RAFIS/PIA Caraga)
