In a continued effort to support the backbone of the agricultural economy, the Department of Agriculture Regional Field Office 8 (DA RFO8) extended financial assistance to around 5,000 farmers and fisherfolk in Leyte’s 2nd District through the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program (PAFFP).

The beneficiaries came from the municipalities of Carigara, Tunga, Capoocan, and Barugo, with simultaneous payout caravans conducted in Carigara and Barugo to expedite the distribution process.

The cash assistance is extended to registered farmers and fisherfolk under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and those who are actively farming amidst economic pressures brought by rising fuel prices.

For many beneficiaries, the assistance is not only financial relief but also a vital input for sustaining agricultural operations.

Local Farmer Technician and PAFFP beneficiary Joseph Cotoner expressed gratitude for the support, emphasizing its role in maintaining farm productivity.

“𝘋𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘬𝘢𝘶𝘱𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘱𝘰 𝘩𝘢 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘨-𝘶𝘮𝘢 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘩𝘮𝘶𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘯. 𝘈𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘪 𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘨𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘬𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘨𝘢𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯,” he stated.

[This assistance is a great help for us farmers to sustain our current cropping season and to support our farm expenses. We will allocate this for fuel consumption of our machinery such as tractors and land masters so we can start our land preparation.]

Agricultural Technologist Pamela A. Iquigan of the Municipal Agriculture Office of Capoocan underscored the broader impact of the program, especially for fisherfolk and vulnerable households.

“𝘐𝘯𝘪 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘥𝘢𝘬𝘰 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘬 𝘭𝘢𝘣-𝘦 𝘯𝘢 𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘯𝘢𝘨 𝘢𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘯𝘪 𝘯𝘨𝘢 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘨 𝘩𝘢 𝘨𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘬𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪 𝘩𝘢 𝘪𝘳𝘢 𝘮𝘨𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢 𝘬𝘢𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘢𝘸,” she emphasized.

[This program is a big help for our fisherfolk, especially as we are currently facing a crisis. This assistance will not only help with gasoline but also with their daily needs.]

As an initial district-wide rollout, the program is expected to expand further, with succeeding payout caravans set to reach additional beneficiaries in Leyte’s 2nd District in the coming implementation phases.

For farmers and fisherfolk in Carigara, Barugo, and neighboring municipalities, the assistance arrives not just as financial aid—but as fuel for both livelihood and hope, reinforcing the region’s agricultural backbone amid ongoing economic challenges.