• THERESA MAE DULMAN
Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian assured to complete the distribution of approximately P1.9 billion in financial assistance to small sugarcane farmers and farm workers affected by the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) infestation across the Negros Island Region before the end of the year.
During his visit to Bacolod City Sept. 22, Gatchalian reassured affected communities that the national government has sufficient funds to sustain the emergency cash transfer program.
He explained that the P1.9-billion fund target is for around 190,000 qualified recipients in the NIR, with beneficiaries receiving an average of P10,000 each. “The number kasi, as we go along is we validated, that’s why there is a manual payout to validate.”
He said that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. instructed the agency to prioritize vulnerable farming communities, while maintaining uninterrupted social protection interventions for other disaster-affected sectors across the country. | TMD
