Iloilo: Over 380,400 farmers and fisherfolk in Western Visayas are set to receive support through the Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program, which will commence on Thursday to mitigate the effects of rising fuel prices.

According to Philippines News Agency, the Department of Agriculture in Western Visayas (Region 6) has announced that the aid will be distributed to rice, corn, and sugar farmers in addition to fisherfolk. Maria Teresa Solis, the Regional Technical Director for Operations, shared in a phone interview that the program targets a total of 329,000 rice and corn farmers, 38,300 fisherfolk, and 12,500 sugarcane farmers in the region.

The Department of Agriculture Regional Office will coordinate with local government units, particularly the municipal agriculturist's office, to distribute the assistance. Each validated beneficiary will receive PHP 2,325. Solis mentioned, "We created a team that will be assigned per municipality. We will start this week, on Thursday."

The distribution will begin in various sites including Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, and Iloilo. However, the payout in Capiz is scheduled for the following week due to the ongoing Capiztahan celebrations. The initial distribution will occur in municipalities that have a validated list from local government units.

Solis urged validated farmers to bring government-issued identification cards and intervention monitoring cards, if available, to facilitate the process. She emphasized that beneficiaries have the discretion to decide how to best utilize their assistance.