MANILA, Philippines—Sen. Francis Pangilinan urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) to fast track the drafting of the implementing guidelines for the release of the P10 billion cash aid to farmers and fishermen.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform made the appeal amid the fuel price hike caused by the Middle East war.
He said the P10 billion Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk fund is on top of the P75 million that the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) can tap from its 2025 budget for the cash assistance to some 15,000 farmers and fisherfolk.
“Can we also request the DA through the BFAR, to fast track the guidelines. We need this. It’s already March," Pangilinan said during the public hearing on several bills promoting the welfare of farmers and fisherfolks.
“The price of crude oil is quite high, and it is anticipated to increase more. So, there is a need to expedite [the release of] this cash assistance,” he said in Filipino and English.
Pangilinan lamented that the P3,000 initial cash assistance that will be given to the beneficiaries under the P75 million allocation would not be enough to cover the needs of the sector.
He said that the continuous rise in fuel prices, which account for 80 percent of total fishing production costs, would lead to higher prices for fish and other seafood products.
He vowed to find more ways to provide much-needed fuel subsidy for the affected sector.
