LAOAG: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has allocated over PHP50 million under its cash-for-work program for Ilocos Norte farmers affected by the dry spell.

Engineer Theresa Bacnat, provincial agriculture office officer-in-charge, confirmed this in a media interview Monday, saying the program will be rolled out anytime this week.

‘The cash-for-work program is meant to benefit around 11,673 farmers. Each of them will receive PHP4,350 and render community service for 10 days,’ she said.

Among the first batch of beneficiaries are those from the municipalities of Vintar, Bacarra, and Laoag City, whose farms are starting to dry out after some rivers started to run dry since December 2023.

The DSWD is part of the food security cluster under the El Niño national action plan and the cluster, spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture (DA), ensures there is a stable supply of key food commodities amid the dry spell.

Aside from the distribution of various agricultural inputs and the contin
uous rollout of fuel subsidies, the Ilocos Norte government continues to accept farmers’ requests through its Agri Ka Dito program, which provides immediate assistance amid the skyrocketing cost of agriculture inputs, fuel, and calamities.

Source: Philippines News Agency