The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr, has distributed more than Php 1.37 billion in cash assistance to farmers, fisherfolks and their families from 17 towns in Cagayan Valley as well as a number of regions in the Visayas and Mindanao who were affected by the El Niño phenomenon.

“This aid distribution is part of President Marcos’ Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolks, and their Families (PAFFF) that aims to address the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, especially on the agriculture and fisheries sectors,” DSWD Asst. Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Irene Dumlao said on Tuesday (July 2).

Asst. Secretary Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said some 137,333 beneficiaries from the select sectors were given Php10,000 each under the agency’s Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).

The AKAP is the recently launched program of the DSWD that provides social aid to individuals who may not have access to regular forms of assistance because they do not belong to the poorest population.

Of the total amount of assistance, Cagayan de Oro in Northern Mindanao received the biggest chunk with Php over Php113.8 million for some 11,385 recipients.

During the PAFFF distribution on Thursday (June 28) in Bohol where the President was joined by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the Chief Executive said in his speech that he has expanded the duties of the DSWD to not just providing assistance during typhoons and other calamities.

“Dahil sa aking pananaw, itong dinaanan natin na El Niño, na taguyot, 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 President told his Cebuano and Boholano audience during the distribution of various government assistance at the Carlos P. Garcia Sports Complex in Tagbilaran City in Bohol.

(From my perspective, the recent El Niño, the drought, is also a crisis. That’s why DSWD is here to help and provide assistance to those affected and struggling due to the impact of El Niño.)

Apart from cash assistance, the DSWD is also providing family food packs (FFPs) to El Niño-hit families and individuals nationwide. #