TARLAC CITY (PIA) – The City Government of Tarlac, in partnership with the Department of Agriculture (DA) Regional Field Office 3 and Universal Storefront Services Corporation (USSC), distributed fuel subsidies and intervention monitoring cards (ICMs) to farmers in the city.
Each farmer-beneficiary received P3,000 worth of fuel subsidy as part of efforts to help sustain and enhance their productivity and livelihood.
Tarlac City Mayor Susan Yap emphasized that the distribution seeks to ensure continuous agricultural production while easing the burden on farmers amid rising fuel costs.
Acting City Agriculturist Ronald Allan Reyes explained that the ICMs will serve as a mechanism for disbursing funds directly to beneficiaries.
“Namimigay din po tayo ng intervention monitoring card para ipasok po dito iyong pondo nang sa ganon ma-withdraw na po ng ating mga indibidwal na magsasaka (We are also distributing intervention monitoring cards so that funds can be deposited here, allowing our individual farmers to withdraw them),” he said.
During the distribution, Yap urged farmers to communicate their concerns to the City Agriculture Office to better align government programs with their actual needs.
“Para po maiakma natin na ang mga programa at mga bibilihin ng gobyerno, ay iyong tunay na kailangan ninyo (So we can align government programs and purchases with what you truly need),” she said.
To further strengthen support for the sector, Yap also shared that the city government is holding consultations with various cooperatives to enable direct purchasing from farmers, eliminating the need for middlemen and improving their income opportunities.
Erwin Pascua, a farmer from Barangay Buenavista, thanked the DA and the city government for the assistance provided.
“Malaking tulong po ito sa amin bilang magsasaka lalo na ngayong panahon ng krisis (This is a big help for us farmers, especially during this time of crisis),” he stated.
The initiative underscores the government’s continued effort to reinforce its support for farmers, aiming for more stable food production and improved livelihoods in the agricultural sector. (MJSC/AJRR, PIA Region 3-Tarlac)
