MANILA – According to Department of Agriculture (DA), more than 158,000 farmers and fisherfolk will receive PHP3,000 worth of fuel subsidy under the PHP1.1-billion subsidy fund amid the increasing oil prices.
DA Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes stated that beneficiaries in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), using motorized boats and crude-consuming machinery will avail of the subsidy, even after the first oil price rollback implemented on Tuesday.
“Iyan po ay ibibigay sa pamamagitan ng card mula sa DBP… Ipapakita lamang po iyong ID na iyan sa mga gasolinahan na accredited ng Department of Energy. Pwede po silang magpakarga at hanggang maubos po iyong PHP3,000 na iyon (This will be distributed through DBP cards, [they] just need to present [their] ID in gasoline stations accredited by the Department of Energy. They can avail and consume up to PHP3,000),” he said.
Reyes noted that an initial PHP500 million fund was allotted for the rollout, and President Rodrigo Duterte later approved an additional PHP600 million fund.
“Iyong PHP500 million po, ito lang Marso naumpisahan na po iyan last week sa Tacloban. Noong nakaraang araw nandoon po kami sa Zambales pero tuluy-tuloy na po iyan through our regional offices ng DA at ng [Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources] (The distribution of PHP 500 million subsidy was started last week in Tacloban. Last time, we were in Zambales, its rollout is continuous through the regional offices of DA and BFAR),” he added.
Aside from the PHP3,000 fuel subsidy, the DA had promised rice farmers PHP5,000 in aid under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance.
