In an effort to make an orderly and systematic conduct of the upcoming Presidential Assistance for Farmers and Fisherfolk Program (PAFFP), the Department of Agriculture Ilocos Regional Executive Director Fidel Libao convened all concerned staff this morning for a preparatory meeting at the 3rd Floor DA RFO I Conference Room, City of San Fernando, La Union.

The DA in Ilocos is set to distribute Php 9.3 million in total aid this month of April.

During this pilot phase, around 4,000 farmer beneficiaries across the four provinces of Region 1 will receive Php2,325.00 each.

The simultaneous distribution activity will take place at four sites—Ilocos Norte Research and Experiment Center (INREC) in Batac City, Ilocos Norte; Ilocos Sur Research and Experiment Center (ISREC) in San Juan, Ilocos Sur; DA-Regional Field Office in San Fernando City, La Union; and Pangasinan Research and Experiment Center (PREC) in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan.

Beneficiaries include farmers planting rice, corn, and sugarcane as well as fisherfolk from Laoag City, Bantay, San Fernando City, and Sta. Barbara.

To ensure a smooth verification process, the DA advises beneficiaries to bring their Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) ID or any official proof of identity for verification.

Based on records, a total of 480,080 farmers in Region 1 are slated to benefit from this government cash assistance program.