More than 182,000 farmers and fisherfolk in Bicol have received cash assistance under the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program (PAFFP), with the Department of Agriculture in Bicol (DA-5) aiming to complete the distribution of the region’s PHP600 million allocation.

DA-5 spokesperson Lovella Guarin said the agency targets to provide assistance to more than 200,000 farmers and fisherfolk across the region.

“So far, we have already provided assistance to 182,000 farmers, including rice farmers, sugarcane farmers, and fisherfolk. Rice farmers account for the largest number of beneficiaries at 148,362, representing 70 percent of our target to distribute the PHP600 million allocation for farmers and fisherfolk in the Bicol Region,” she said.

The PAFFP was introduced in March following the conflict in the Middle East, which drove up fuel prices and consequently increased production and operating costs in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, Guarin said.

“We immediately provided cash assistance to help ease the burden on farmers caused by the increase in fuel prices and its domino effect on the prices of basic commodities,” she added.

During Wednesday’s distribution at the Legazpi City Convention Center, 1,121 beneficiaries from Legazpi City and Daraga each received PHP2,325.

Sandy Abejuela, a fisherman from Barangay San Isidro, Legazpi City, said the assistance would immediately be invested in his livelihood.

“This is a big help for us fishermen and farmers. I will use it to buy fishing nets and other materials that I need for fishing,” Abejuela said.

Another beneficiary, Santos Banday, 59, a fisherman from Barangay Bigaa, Legazpi City, said the cash aid would help support both his livelihood and his family’s daily needs.

“I will use the money for my child’s education, household expenses, fuel, fishing lines, and food for my family,” Banday said.

Corn and rice farmer Oscar Abarientos, 69, also from Barangay San Francisco, said the financial assistance would help lessen his production costs.

“Even if the amount is small, it is still a big help. I will use it to buy fertilizer and help cover the cost of operating our water pump for irrigation,” he said.

BFAR-Albay Provincial Fishery Officer Alvin Christopher Lat thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the program and expressed hope that additional funding would be allocated to sustain and expand the assistance.

“We are grateful to the President, and we hope the budget for this program will be increased so it can continue and reach more farmers and fisherfolk, especially those who have not yet received assistance,” Lat said.

The assistance has helped fisherfolk cope with rising fuel prices and the effects of unfavorable weather by easing some of their operating and daily living expenses, he added. (PNA)