Talacogon, ADS

Butuan City --- Amidst the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic especially to our marginalized coconut farmers, the Philippine Coconut Authority – CARAGA (PCA-CARAGA) has strengthened its efforts to timely deliver the total ₱6,319,000.00 financial assistance to our coco farmers in Agusan del Sur, under the Participatory Coconut Planting and Replanting Project (PCPP) and Indigenous People Outreach Program (IPOP).

PCA-CARAGA Regional Manager Joel B. Oclarit said, “A total of 1,153 coconut farmers received financial assistance, received through their respective coconut farmers organizations which they are member of. This is the continuation of the series of distribution activities conducted from August to October not only in Agusan del Sur, but also in the whole CARAGA region.”

There were 1,093 coconut farmers who benefitted from the PCPP CY2019 allocation implemented in Sibagat, San Francisco, Loreto, Bunawan, Sta. Josefa, Rosario, Talacogon and Prosperidad, amounting to ₱6,189,600.

“Tinood nga lisod ang kahimtang krun tungod sa Covid, pero wala gihapon na undang ang support nga gipakita sa goberno sa amoang maguuma sa lubi (It is true that today’s situation is so complicated but the government still continues to help us coconut farmers),” Teresita Mabras, a PCPP beneficiary said.

In a separate distribution, a total of 60 Indigenous People (IPs) from Bayugan City and Trento benefitted from IPOP, amounting to a total of ₱130,000. Coconut seedlings were provided by PCA to the IPs who then received cash incentives of ₱20.00/seedling planted and stabilized in the field.

“Wala kami nagtoo nga bisan usa kami nga lumad, wala kami kalimti ug tabang sa gobyerno. Gtaagaan nila ug bili ang among kahimtang pinaagi sa paghatag ug tabang pinansyal para itanom sa among kayutaan (We never imagined that even if we are IPs, the government did not forget about us. They still give us value through the cash assistance for us to develop our lands),” Ebay, an IPOP beneficiary said.

PCA, through its regional and provincial offices, continue to conduct financial aid distributions throughout the country. ### (PCA CARAGA)