MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) said Friday it is set to roll out fuel subsidies to farmers and fishers affected by soaring oil prices.
During the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon briefing, DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the program entails PHP3,000 worth of aid per beneficiary.
“It is a one-time assistance para tumulong dito sa pagtaas ng presyo ng gasolina (to help amid the oil price hike). Inaayos lang dito iyong guidelines. Sa mga susunod na araw, ilalabas na rin itong fuel assistance para sa ating mga mangingisda at magsasaka (We’re just polishing the guidelines. In the coming days, we will be releasing the fuel assistance for our farmers and fishers),” De Mesa said.
The DA has allocated nearly PHP1 billion worth of funds to cover eligible beneficiaries nationwide.
“May nakalaan na almost PHP500 million para sa ating mga magsasaka na may-ari ng makinarya. Gayundin PHP500 million para sa ating mga mangingisda (We have allocated almost PHP500 million for our farmers owning machinery. Likew
ise, another PHP500 million for our fishers),” he said.
Among the eligible beneficiaries are farmers with machinery registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors In Agriculture, as well as fishers whose boat tonnage does not exceed 3 metric tons.
Source: Philippines News agency