At least 11,905 individuals across the Caraga Region are set to receive financial aid through the Presidential Assistance for Farmers, Fisherfolk, and Families (PAFFF) program on Thursday.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will personally hand over the financial aid to the beneficiaries on the same day in a series of distribution activities to be conducted here and in Tandag City in Surigao del Sur.

The assistance will be given to farmers and fisherfolk from the provinces of Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur with Butuan City, and Surigao del Sur.

“The beneficiaries are the farmers and fisherfolk who were directly affected by the recent onslaught of El Niño here in the region,” said Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama of the Presidential Communications Office in a briefing conducted in this city on Wednesday.

He added that each beneficiary would receive PHP10,000 in cash assistance from the President through the PAFFF.

During the activity, around PHP190 million worth of farm machinery and equipment will also be distributed to the different farmer groups in the region.

“The PAFFF was started last May 9 to help the farmers and fishers who were the most vulnerable to the effects of the El Niño phenomenon,” Villarama said.

He said President Marcos wanted to ensure that help would be available to farmers and fisherfolk, the sector that brings food to every table.

In Mindanao, Villarama said that PAFFF distribution activities were already conducted in Regions 9, 10, 11, and 12, as well as in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. (PNA)