SAMAL, Bataan — The Department of Agriculture started Tuesday extending fuel subsidy to rice farmers in different villages here whose crops were damaged by Typhoon Karding.
Personnel of the municipal agriculture and municipal treasurer’s offices checked necessary documents and conducted the orderly payment of the cash subsidy.
Municipal administrator Jay Sammy Lat said that beneficiaries of the program were 472 farmers from Barangays Lalawigan, Imelda, Gugo, Ibaba, San Juan, Sta. Lucia, Ibaba, and Calaguiman.
He said the farmers received in cash from P1,000 to P3,000 depending on the area of the farm they till.
The administrator said that Mayor Alexander Acuzar wanted all farmers even those with small plots be given subsidy but the fund was not enough.
He said that the fuel subsidy was a combined effort of the DA, provincial government headed by Gov. Jose Enrique Garcia III, and Samal municipal government under Mayor Acuzar.
Farmers who patiently queued and waited for their turn were hopeful that more aid will be extended to them by the government.
Farmer Sonny Laxamana of Barangay Imelda said that the fuel subsidy was a big help to them. He said that he welcomes whatever assistance government will give him.
Most farmers in Bataan use diesel fuel for water pumps to irrigate rice fields and for farm tractors and kuliglig in tilling the lands.
