THE government has launched a P1.5 billion assistance program for farmers and fisherfolk amid the economic fallout of the war in the Middle East.
The initiative forms part of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food and Transport initiative of the Marcos administration in response to rising fuel costs and supply chain threats linked to the regional conflict.
Led by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and the National Irrigation Administration, the program seeks to stabilize food production while generating emergency jobs in vulnerable communities.
The project will provide short-term wage employment and livelihood assistance through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood Program, the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) Program, and the Adjustment Measures Program.
Authorities said the initiative aims to strengthen food security, ensure the steady movement of goods, and improve agricultural productivity through the rehabilitation of irrigation systems and climate-resilient infrastructure.
The project has pilot launches in Regions 4A, 9, and Caraga, where beneficiaries have begun declogging and clearing secondary irrigation canals and establishing vegetable gardens along waterways.
The government said the rollout will next expand to Region 3, Mimaropa, and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Before the P1.5 billion convergence project, DOLE had already extended more than P148.9 million in livelihood aid to 6,920 farmers and fisherfolk nationwide since January this year.
The assistance package included supplies and equipment for agricultural ventures such as broiler raising, chicken egg production, and hog fattening.
Other beneficiaries received support for food-based enterprises, including frozen food retailing, rice trading, peanut butter production, and cassava processing.
Several workers ventured into service-oriented and production-based businesses, such as water refilling stations, general merchandise stores, bamboo stick production and mushroom farming.
Under the Tupad emergency employment program, 91,457 farmers and fisherfolk received temporary jobs worth more than P655.4 million, covering activities like coastal cleanup, tree planting, communal gardening, mangrove planting, and maintenance of public facilities.
The government has expanded assistance to overseas Filipino workers displaced by the Middle East tensions, with repatriated workers receiving job opportunities and livelihood support during the Bayanihan Para sa Balikbayang Manggagawa program led by the Department of Migrant Workers on April 15, 2026.
