THE Department of Agriculture (DA) needs an additional P1 billion for its fuel subsidy program, part of a P6-billion supplemental funding request that the agency sought at a Senate Proactive Response and Oversight for Timely and Effective Crisis Strategy hearing, according to DA spokesman Arnel de Mesa.
“It’s still under review, but there is already a request,” de Mesa said.
The broader P6-billion requisition would also fund agricultural transport and alternative fertilizers.
The DA — which began distributing fuel assistance earlier this year after fuel prices spiked amid the global oil crisis triggered by the US-Iran war in the Middle East — is seeking additional funding as a strong El Niño looms later this year.
Currently, about 86 percent of farmer beneficiaries and 66 percent of fisherfolk beneficiaries have received their fuel subsidies under the program, guided by Memorandum Circulars 35 and 42 issued last year.
Eligible farmers receive P5,000 each, while fisherfolk receive P3,000. To qualify, farmers must be registered in the DA’s Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and own or rent farming machinery.
Fisherfolk must be in the RSBSA list or the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources’ Fisherfolk Registration System, use a motorized boat of three gross tons or less, and comply with Republic Act 10654, which governs efforts against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Priority is given to farmers and fisherfolk who have not previously received DA fuel subsidies.
Subsidies are released through Intervention Monitoring Cards issued by the Development Bank of the Philippines and its fintech partners, usable at participating merchants. Vouchers are issued where card access is unavailable.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has said the scheme lets the government focus on verified beneficiaries, as required under the General Appropriations Act.
