Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian and other Cabinet secretaries joined President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr in the second leg of his visit to Central Visayas (Region 7) to provide the necessary aid and presidential assistance to El Niño-stricken farmers, fisherfolk and their families in the region.
Addressing the Cebuanos and Bolohanos during the aid giving at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex in Tagbilaran City on Friday (June 28), President Marcos said the distribution of assistance is part of the whole-of-government approach under his administration.
“Ang ibig sabihin po, kapag mayroon tayong programa na ginagawa, hindi lamang isang department ang inuutusan natin para gawin ang trabaho. Ang ginagawa po natin ay tinitingnan po namin kung sinuman at kahit na anong department na makatutulong ay isinasama natin doon sa programa na ‘yun para maging matagumpay,” the President told the beneficiaries of the Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolk and Families (PAFFF) in the region.
(When we undertake a program, we do not assign the task to just one department. What we do is we look at whoever and whichever department can contribute to the success of that program, and we involve them.)
The President, on Thursday (June 27), visited Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental for a similar aid giving activity.
Among the assistance turned over by the Chief Executive to the people of Central Visayas were agri-fishery assistance packages, including farm machinery, fishing equipment, seeds, and fertilizers.
The President also provided cash aid worth Php10,000 each to 20 select beneficiaries from Bohol and Cebu in a ceremonial distribution.
The Chief Executive also extended Php50 million each in financial assistance to the two provincial governments.
Secretary Gatchalian assisted the President in the ceremonial distribution of Php10,000 cash aid under the DSWD’s Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).
Some 10,000 select beneficiaries affected by the El Nino phenomenon are expected to get the AKAP aid.
“Nandito po ang DSWD secretary, Secretary Rex Gatchalian. Siya ang umiikot, nag-iinspeksyon, at nagdadala ng tulong kapag tayo ay inabutan ng mga kalamidad ngunit pinalawak po natin ang kanyang mga katungkulan upang hindi lamang pag bagyo, hindi lamang paglindol o pagputok ng bulkan tsaka papasok ang DSWD. Dahil sa aking pananaw, itong dinaanan natin na El Niño, na tagtuyot, ay krisis din. Kaya nandyan po ang DSWD para tumulong at magbigay ng tulong sa mga tinamaan at nahirapan dito sa pagdaan ng El Niño sa atin,” the Chief Executive pointed out.
(Here with us is DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian. He goes around, inspects, and provides assistance when we are hit by calamities. But we have expanded his duties so that it is not just during typhoons, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions that DSWD steps in. From my perspective, the recent El Niño, the drought, is also a crisis. That is why DSWD is here to help and provide assistance to those affected and struggling due to the impact of El Niño.)
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Agriculture (DA), and the Office of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez also extended other forms of assistance to identified beneficiaries.
Other top government officials present during the distribution of assistance were DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., and Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Secretary Antonio Ernesto Lagdameo Jr.
Local officials who also attended the aid distribution were Bohol 1st District Rep. Edgar Chatto; 2nd District Rep. Maria Vanessa Aumentado; 3rd District Rep. Kristine Alexie Tutor; Cebu 2nd District Rep. Eduardo Roa Rama Jr.; Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia; and Bohol Acting Governor Dionisio Victor Balite.#
