AFFORDABLE RICE. A resident of Ligao City, Albay province buys Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka (BBM) Rice for only PHP29 per kilogram from National Irrigation Administration (NIA)-Albay acting manager, engineer Mark Cloyd So (left) on Friday (Sept. 13, 2024). The selling of cheap rice was part of the “Handog ng Pangulo Serbisyong Sapat para sa Lahat” activities to celebrate President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s 67th birthday. (PNA photo by Connie Calipay)
LEGAZPI CITY – Bicolanos from vulnerable sectors, including minimum wage earners, on Friday thanked President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for pouring various forms of assistance into the region's six provinces, as they greeted him on his 67th birthday.
To celebrate the occasion, various national government agencies held the “Handog ng Pangulo, Serbisyong Sapat para sa Lahat” through a series of activities across the Bicol region.
BBM Rice
A total of 3,950 bags of Bagong Bayaning Magsasaka (BBM) Rice were sold for only PHP29 per kilogram or PHP290 per 10-kg bag by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in the six provinces.
In an interview, Maria Carmel Gumban, 54, a beneficiary of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) from Barangay Paulog, Ligao City, said the BBM rice gives her family huge savings in their daily consumption.
"I took advantage to buy these low-priced grains that will surely help my family. I have two children and we will use it for about three weeks. So thank you very much, Mr. President," she said.
Gumban hoped the NIA would continue to sell affordable and freshly harvested palay.
"I hope it will not be the first and the last that we can buy cheap rice. If it continues, it will help us poor people with little income. When the price of rice is low and the harvest is still fresh, it will be a little easier for us," she said.
Senior citizen Elenor Fernandez of Barangay Bunga, Ligao City, said the BBM rice is much cheaper compared to the PHP54 to PHP60 per kilogram of rice that she buys.
"Thank you, Mr. President, and happy birthday, BBM. This price is a great relief for us. I hope that this price becomes regular because we can save a lot of money. We can buy more from the difference of PHP29 per kilo; we can buy more fish, fruits, vegetables, and even medicine," she said in Filipino.
NIA Albay-Catanduanes acting manager, Mark Cloyd So, in an interview, said they were thankful for the positive feedback they received during the activity.
For Albay province, he said they sold 500 bags of BBM rice to members of vulnerable groups like senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), solo parents, and 4Ps members.
"We are now planning for the next contract farming since the BBM Rice was made possible through the partnership of Irrigators Associations (AIs) and our agency. We will be planting around 300 hectares for the next cropping season, which is possible for July 2025. For this year, we are expecting more harvesting," he said.
DSWD's AKAP financial assistance
Leslie Benbing, DSWD-Bicol crisis intervention section information officer, said a total of 1,551 Albayanos received financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) under the Ayuda para mga Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) through the Ako Bicol Party-list at the Embarcadero de Legazpi here.
"Each beneficiary received PHP5,000 financial assistance or PHP7.7 million in total," she said.
Benbing said the beneficiaries included tricycle drivers, farmers, and fishermen from the 1st and 2nd Districts of Albay province.
In an interview, Eden Divinigracia, 60, of Camalig town, Albay, thanked President Marcos Jr. for the assistance she received.
"Thank you, Mr. President! I just received a huge amount of money that I can use for our daily expenses," she said.
Divinigracia, a house helper, said she was not earning enough, so the financial assistance would ease her family's needs.
Carmen Buendia, 44, of Tabaco City, a handicraft maker, said the amount would be used for her son's needs in school and their daily food consumption.
DOLE's TUPAD and livelihood programs
Johana Vi Gasga, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Bicol spokesperson, said their agency has distributed over PHP156 million worth of assistance through the TUPAD (Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers) and livelihood programs, benefiting more than 31,000 workers and beneficiaries across the region.
"Aside from the payout and livelihood assistance, the Bagong Pilipinas Job Fair was conducted in five Bicol provinces—Sorsogon, Camarines Norte, Catanduanes, Masbate, and Albay—offering over 2,000 job vacancies to job seekers," she said.
DA's intervention for farmers
The Department of Agriculture (DA), on the other hand, provided more than PHP86 million worth of various interventions to more than 50,000 Bicolano farmers.
Lovella Guarin, DA-Bicol spokesperson, said these included seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural tools under the various programs of the agency. (PNA)
