Ninety portable solar dryers (portasols) worth PHP3.3 million were turned over to Misamis Oriental on Monday, as the provincial government continued to distribute millions in assistance under its economic acceleration program.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) official Ruel Vincent Banal said the portasols will be used by identified farmer-organizations.

The donation is part of the DOST’s Community Empowerment through Science and Technology program, which aims to provide livelihood and alleviate poverty in remote communities.

“The portasols will allow farmers to dry their grains easier and faster even during overcast days, common during our country’s rainy season,” he said.

Monday’s turnover was DOST’s second batch of portasols given to the province this year.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Microfinance Unit-Livelihood for Economic Recovery and Acceleration Program (PMU-Leap) has disbursed more than PHP40 million since its launch in 2022.

On Monday, 11 more qualified beneficiaries received cash assistance totaling PHP909,000.

PMU-Leap is a financial program that provides low-interest loans to micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs to help them recover from losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic of 2019.

Governor Peter Unabia said there is still more work to be done in the province’s economic recovery, which also entails poverty alleviation measures.

“We should always remember that there are still 306,000 individuals living in poverty, and 100,000 of their children. We should focus our programs and projects on how we should help them,” he said in a statement. (PNA)