Freebies for 1.3K Mangaldan farmers – Mayor Bona

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

MANGALDAN - More than a thousand farmers here have been beneficiaries of material and financial assistance from the mayor and officials of the national government.

In the program dubbed Ceremonial Distribution and Awarding of Rehabilitation Seeds to Farmers Affected by Habagat, Typhoons Inday and Josie held in the morning of August 8 at the function room of the municipal hall, Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno lauded Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, the Department of Social Welfare & Development, Governor Amado Espino III for the free assistance they gave to the peasants here.

AID – Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe D. Parayno (blue dress center) leads the distribution of financial assistance and the relief goods from the Department of Social Welfare & Development, Pangasinan Governor Amado Espino III, and the rehabilitation seeds from the Department of Agriculture & Fishery.  The financial and material packages given as freebies were distributed at the third floor of the municipal hall. The aids were given to mitigate the impact of the calamities that hit the town lately. 

“Ito iyong aming assistance to agriculture saka financial assistance sa mga farmers and irrigators. Ang financial assistance galing sa akin, ang mga relief galing sa DSWD through Governor Amado Espino. Iyong hybrid certified seeds galing sa D.A”, she told this paper during a lull of the affair. 
Mayor Parayno told the farmers that the D.A allocated to 1,300 farmer-beneficiaries with each of them a sack of hybrid seed and a packaged of certified seed.

“Ngayong umaga, makakatangap ng limang daan, walongpo at tatlong  magsasaka (583 farmers) ng rehabilitation seeds na manggagaling sa Kagawaran ng Pagsasaka sa pangunguna ni Kalihim Manny Piñol. Meron po tayong isanlibong tatlo na raang (1,300) na mapalad na benepesaryo ng Rehabilitation seeds na nagmula sa tatlumpong barangay sa ating bayan. Makakaasa po kayo na ang lahat ng ito ay makakatangap. Mauuna lang po iyong 583 ngayong umaga dahil ito ang bilang na nakahanda ng ibigay sa ating munisipyo. Iyong iba, padating palang po ngayong araw at sa susunod na araw. Kaya iyong mga hindi makakatanggap ngayon umaga ay aabisuhan na lang po kung kailan ninyo kukunin sa opisina, “ Mayor Parayno told the farmers, who were seen drinking and eating the brewed coffee and snack given by her office, while listening to her.

She cited that the distribution of the rehabilitation seed is the assistance program of the D.A to the farmers’ distraught by the incessant monsoon rains brought by Typhoons Inday and Josie.

This town and many Pangasinan towns experienced massive flooding for a week.

Because of the calamities,  Pangasinan received P81.6 million worth of agricultural assistance from the DA for the rehabilitation program for both agriculture and fishery industries badly damaged by the storm and the tropical depression brought by Typhoon Josie.

 

Leading the awarding of the initial Rehabilitation Assistance in Agriculture at the Sison Auditorium on July 26, Agriculture Secretary Piñol assured that the national government is expediting recovery efforts.

Over P81 million worth of hybrid palay seeds (12,000 bags), certified palay seeds (20,000 bags) and hybrid corn seeds (100 bags) were awarded to the province of Pangasinan which will be granted to various farmer organizations of the 32,000-hectare affected farmland due to the almost unabated rains in the mammoth province.

Sec. Piñol also disclosed some of the ongoing loan assistance programs of the department, such as, the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Assistance Program through its Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC).

Sec. Piñol added that through the SURE program which offers loan grant of at least 5,000 to 25,000 pesos with no interest charge, small farmers and fisher folk whose livelihood was affected by the calamity will be provided immediate relief and regain their capacity to earn a living.