By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Three thousand beneficiaries in Negros Occidental have received a total of P9 million in financial assistance through the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis (AICS) program.
Senator Imee Marcos presided over the distribution event in La Carlota City, where recipients from the fourth and fifth districts converged.
The breakdown included 1,638 recipients from the fourth district and 1,362 from the fifth district.
Within the fourth district, 500 recipients were from La Carlota City, 200 in Bago City, 236 in each of the towns of Valladolid, San Enrique, and Pontevedra, and 230 in Pulupandan town.
In the fifth district, 200 were from Himamaylan City, with 236 each in Moises Padilla and Isabela, and 230 in each of the towns of Hinigaran, La Castellana, and Binalbagan.
During a press conference following the ceremony, Marcos highlighted that the beneficiaries included tricycle drivers, farmers, fisherfolk, and market vendors who are among those hit hardest by recent economic pressures.
“Tricycle drivers have been greatly affected during the pandemic, and now with the recent oil price hike, while vendors are also suffering from the increase in prices of rice and other commodities,” Marcos noted.
She added, “Everything is mahal (expensive), and vendors cannot pass on the costs.”
The senator also mentioned that the agricultural sector faced significant challenges, particularly due to the ongoing El Niño phenomenon, which exacerbated conditions for farmers and fisherfolk.
Recent reports indicated that the province suffered P302,224,913.33 in agricultural damages as of May 8, with rice crops incurring the most significant losses.
Detailed impacts include damages to 5,864 hectares of rice lands across 216 barangays affecting 8,285 farmers.
Additionally, 178.91 hectares of corn lands across 40 barangays affecting 265 farmers were impacted.
The drought also hit 20 barangays cultivating rice, affecting 3,430 farmers over 2,355.11 hectares.
Kabankalan City reported the most substantial damage, with P99,624,716.80 lost in rice production, while San Enrique town faced severe impacts in fisheries, with losses totaling P2,492,042 in semi-harvestable milkfish and tilapia fingerlings.
In response to the crisis, the Department of Agriculture has pledged immediate financial assistance, offering P5,000 to severely affected rice farmers and P3,000 to impacted fisherfolk.
Marcos urged local chief executives to support the Department of Agriculture in updating the status of affected individuals to ensure efficient aid distribution.
The assistance initiative was part of a broader effort to address the ongoing challenges faced by the agricultural community in Negros.
