“We never expected to receive this cash and food assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA),” said Sosima P. Cabus, a farmer beneficiary from Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental.
Cabus was teary eyed while sharing her comment about the cash and food subsidy to the DA7 staff.
She said that she never expected that the DA will give them P5,000 cash and food subsidy.
“Daku kaayo akong pasalamat sa Ginoo ug sa gobyerno ilabi na sa DA nga nahimong instrumento aron kami matabangan sa among kalisod karong panahona,” Cabus said.
(We are very thankful to God as well as the government especially the DA-being an instrument to help us in this tough time.)
Another farmer Margie Tubaga, also from Zamboanguita said she received a text message informing her of the assistance.
“Abi nako nga scam tong text nga ako nadawat nga naa koy madawat nga ayuda. Unya, ang ako mga silingan nakadawat man susama nga text, nakaingon ko nga dili diay ni scam. Daku kaayo among pasalamat sa DA sa ayuda ilabi na nga naglisod jud mi tungod sa pandemya,” Tubaga said.
( I thought that it was a scam text message that I will receive assistance. But when my neighbors also received same text, I said that this is not a scam. Im very grateful to DA for the assistance to the marginal farmers, especially that life is very hard right now due to this pandemic.)
“To our DA Secretary William Dar and to DA7, thank you very much for allocating a budget for this program. This is a big help to us small farmers,” said Rochelyn Rojo Libosana from Basay, Negros Oriental.
The cash and food subsidy are given to qualified corn farmers from the 4th, 5th and 6th class municipalities.
“A farmer beneficiary will receive an amount of P5,000 each divided into P3,000 for cash and P2,000 for food items covering P1,000 worth of rice, P600 worth of dressed chicken and P400 eggs,” said Sarah Perocho, DA7 Agriculture Program Coordinating Officer in Negros Oriental.
“These farmers and fishers filled up the Registry System on Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBA) form and who tills a corn area of one hectare and below,” Perocho added.
The subsidy is also given to fishers, coconut farmers and Indigenous People (IP). # # # (DA-RFO VII, RAFIS)
