TACLOBAN CITY — A total of 17,219 poor and low-income households in Eastern Visayas are set to receive initial cash assistance under a national government program designed to help families cope with rising living costs, particularly higher fuel and energy prices.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Eastern Visayas launched Monday, July 20, the regional rollout of the Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport (UPLIFT) program, with beneficiaries from 12 cities and municipalities receiving the initial tranche of assistance.

Among the beneficiaries was Napoleon Escalona of Barangay Cabalawan, Tacloban City, who said the P2,000 cash assistance would help his family purchase food and other basic necessities.

“P2,000 is a big help. We can now buy rice and other necessities, especially now that the children have returned to school,” Escalona said.

He urged fellow beneficiaries to use the assistance wisely and prioritize their families’ basic needs rather than spend the money on non-essential items.

Escalona also expressed hope that the program would eventually be expanded to include more families in need of government assistance.

Another beneficiary, 63-year-old Francisco Ocenar of Aeroville, Barangay 106, Sto. Niño, Tacloban City, said he would use the cash aid primarily for the education and daily needs of his five grandchildren.

“This is for my grandchildren who are studying because we are having a difficult time in life. We will use it for food, especially for the children,” Ocenar said.

DSWD Eastern Visayas Regional Director Grace Subong, meanwhile, assured the public that the list of beneficiaries was based on validated data from authorized national government agencies and was not prepared by local government units (LGUs).

Subong said the program uses data from partner agencies, including the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), which identifies households classified as poor, near-poor, and those above the poverty threshold.

“As you may have noticed, our data came directly from the PSA. Not a single piece of data came from local government officials,” Subong said.

She clarified that the role of LGUs is limited to informing residents about the program and helping disseminate information about the cash assistance.

“What our LGUs do is simply inform the public that this program is available and disseminate information about it,” she added.

The DSWD also uses data from the Social Security System to identify low-income earners who may qualify for assistance.

Subong said the regional launch represents the initial phase of the UPLIFT program, allowing the DSWD to ensure its smooth implementation before expanding the distribution to other municipalities in Eastern Visayas.

The national government allocated P86.095 million for the initial rollout, which covers 17,219 beneficiaries, or 20 percent of the region’s target recipients.

Qualified beneficiaries will receive P2,000 in monthly assistance from July to December under the program. Members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program and beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom Program will also receive a one-time cash assistance.

The UPLIFT program is a national government initiative that provides emergency financial assistance to poor, near-poor, and low-income households affected by rising fuel and energy costs.

Aside from Tacloban City, cash payouts are also being conducted in other areas across Eastern Visayas.

Ormoc City has the highest allocation for the initial rollout, with 3,831 beneficiaries and a total payout of P19.155 million. It is followed by Calbayog City, with 2,833 beneficiaries and P14.165 million in assistance.

Other recipient areas are Alangalang, Leyte, with 1,886 beneficiaries and P9.43 million; Baybay City, 1,562 beneficiaries and P7.81 million; Villaba, Leyte, 1,488 beneficiaries and P7.44 million; Catbalogan City, 1,221 beneficiaries and P6.105 million; Borongan City, 957 beneficiaries and P4.785 million; Catarman, Northern Samar, 904 beneficiaries and P4.52 million; Sogod, Southern Leyte, 340 beneficiaries and P1.7 million; Maasin City, 261 beneficiaries and P1.205 million; and Naval, Biliran, 222 beneficiaries and P1.11 million.

(ROEL T. AMAZONA)

TACLOBAN CITY – More than 50,000 farmers and fisherfolk across Eastern Visayas have received a total of P120 million in financial assistance from the Department of Agriculture (DA) under the Presidential Assistance to Farmers and Fisherfolk Program (PAFFP), as the government seeks to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices and increasing production costs.

The distribution, which ran from June 16 to July 14, covered beneficiaries in 35 local government units (LGUs) across the region. Each recipient received P2,325 in direct cash assistance, according to the DA regional office.

The financial aid is intended to help small-scale farmers and fisherfolk cope with higher operating expenses brought about by increasing fuel prices and the rising cost of agricultural and fishing inputs, which have affected food production and household incomes.

The PAFFP is a national government intervention launched to provide immediate financial assistance to farmers and fisherfolk adversely affected by surging fuel prices. Beneficiaries are identified through the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and other validated government databases.

DA- 8 said the assistance would help beneficiaries continue farming and fishing activities while easing the burden of meeting their families’ daily needs.

Among those who received the assistance was fisherman Leonardo Mendiola, who said the cash aid came at a time when his family’s income was barely enough to cover basic expenses.

“This program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has greatly helped fisherfolk throughout the country, especially with the rising prices of fuel and other basic commodities. We truly need assistance from the government during these difficult times. This support is a tremendous help to my family because my income from fishing and other sidelines is only enough to provide for our daily meals,” Mendiola said as quoted by DA.

Another beneficiary, Rogelio Padilla, said the assistance would be used primarily to buy fuel needed for his livelihood, while the remaining amount would go toward purchasing rice and helping finance his children’s education.

“I am grateful to the Department of Agriculture. This assistance is a great help in purchasing fuel for our livelihood. Whatever remains will be used to buy rice and support the education of our children,” Padilla said.

The DA said the cash assistance program forms part of the government’s efforts to ensure that farmers and fisherfolk continue producing food despite mounting economic pressures.
Eastern Visayas is among the country’s major producers of rice, coconut, fisheries, and other agricultural commodities. However, farmers and fisherfolk in the region have been grappling with rising fuel prices, higher fertilizer costs, and expensive fishing and farming inputs, reducing their already modest earnings.

The agency said it will continue implementing programs aimed at improving the productivity and income of farmers and fisherfolk while strengthening the country’s food security.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has filed a bill seeking to establish a National Agriculture Education System (NAES) aim to strengthen agricultural education, encourage more young Filipinos to pursue careers in farming, and improve the country’s long-term food security and self-sufficiency.

The proposal, House Bill No. 4664, is being promoted this July in observance of Philippine Agriculturists’ Month. The measure seeks to integrate public and private educational institutions into a unified national network to strengthen instruction in agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and animal husbandry.

According to Romualdez, the creation of the NAES would help accelerate the transfer of modern agricultural technologies, scientific research, and innovations to farming communities, particularly in the provinces, with the goal of increasing agricultural productivity and improving the incomes of farmers and fisherfolk.

The bill also aims to make agriculture more attractive to the younger generation by providing more structured education and training programs, addressing concerns over the country’s aging farming population.

If enacted into law, the proposed system would establish a coordinated framework for agricultural education from basic to higher education while promoting collaboration among schools, research institutions, government agencies, and the private sector.

The measure also provides support for agribusiness development, free community-based training, livelihood guidance, incentives and tax benefits, and assistance to private schools offering agriculture-related programs.

At the national level, the bill seeks to institutionalize a unified agricultural education system backed by permanent funding, technical assistance from experts, and programs designed to increase farm productivity and farmers’ incomes.

The proposal comes as the Philippines continues to face challenges in ensuring food security amid declining interest among young people in agriculture, the aging farming workforce, climate-related disruptions, and rising production costs. Government officials have repeatedly emphasized the need to modernize the agriculture sector and attract a new generation of skilled farmers and agripreneurs to sustain the country’s food supply.

Supporters of the measure said strengthening agricultural education is essential to producing a highly skilled workforce capable of adopting modern farming technologies, increasing local food production, and reducing the country’s dependence on imported agricultural products.

(JOEY A. GABIETA)

TACLOBAN CITY – Motorists traveling along the Palo-Carigara-Ormoc Road are advised to expect slower traffic after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) temporarily closed two lanes of a four-lane highway section in the municipality of Sta. Fe, Leyte.

In a public advisory issued Wednesday, July 15, the DPWH Leyte 1st District Engineering Office announced that the partial lane closure covers the stretch between the welcome arches marking the boundary of Barangay Milagrosa and Barangay Zone I in Sta. Fe.
The temporary traffic scheme took effect on July 9 and will remain in place until July 25.
Despite the closure of two lanes, the remaining two lanes will continue to accommodate motorists traveling in both directions between the municipalities of Palo and Alangalang to minimize disruptions in traffic flow.

The DPWH urged motorists to slow down, observe traffic signs, and follow the directions of traffic personnel while passing through the affected area.

The agency did not specify the nature of the work being undertaken but said the temporary traffic management measures are necessary to facilitate ongoing activities along the highway.

The DPWH also appealed for the public’s patience and understanding, apologizing for the inconvenience caused by the temporary lane restrictions.

The Palo-Carigara-Ormoc Road is one of Leyte’s major national highways, serving as a vital transport corridor that links Tacloban City and eastern municipalities to western Leyte, including Ormoc City. The route carries thousands of commuters, cargo trucks, and public utility vehicles daily, making uninterrupted traffic flow essential to the movement of people and goods across the province.

(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)