PBBM to provide aid to farmers, fisherfolk affected by El Niño in Caraga
By Renelle Luzon Escuadro
BUTUAN CITY – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is set to arrive in Caraga region on Thursday, June 20, for the distribution of assistance to farmers and fisherfolk who are affected by the El Niño phenomenon.
This is part of the administration’s whole-of-government approach in addressing the impacts of the El Niño, especially on the agriculture and fisheries sector through the program on Presidential Assistance to Fisheries, Fisherfolk, and their Families (PAFFF).
A ceremonial distribution of PAFFF will commence in the morning in Tandag City, Surigao del Sur for the identified beneficiaries from the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur.
Another estimated 5,000 beneficiaries from Agusan del Norte, including Butuan City, and the rest of the provinces in Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands, will await the President in the afternoon on the same day at the Libertad Sports Complex, Barangay Libertad in Butuan City.
Each beneficiary will receive a cash assistance of P10,000.
The Chief Executive will also distribute check assistance to affected provincial local government units.
After the ceremonial distribution, the regional offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Technical Education and Skills Development (TESDA), and the House of Representatives led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez will proceed with the distribution of assistance through cash, toolkits, equipment, machinery, among others to their respective beneficiaries.
On April 24, the Task Force El Niño announced that the entire country was affected by the dry spell.
In Caraga region, Agusan del Norte, including Butuan City, Dinagat Islands and Surigao del Norte suffered from drought since May, while Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur experienced dry spell. (RLE/PIA-Caraga)
