Some 2,500 households of small farmers and fisherfolk in the Ilocos Region whose incomes were affected during the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) on March 16 to April 30 due to the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to benefit from the Agriculture Credit and Policy Council’s (ACPC) Expanded SURE Aid and Recovery loan program which has kicked off on June 1, in San Gabriel, La Union with an initial release of Php 2, 650, 000 covering 106 beneficiaries.

As one of DA’s attached agencies, ACPC was tasked to allocate a fund amounting to Php 4Billion for this project as part of DA’s Plant Plant Plant Program or the Ahon Lahat, Pagkaing Sapat (ALPAS) Kontra sa COVID-19.

Marginalized farmers and fisherfolk are allowed to borrow a capital amounting to Php 25,000 per household, payable up to ten years with zero interest and no collateral.

Qualified beneficiaries were identified by the Local Government Units through their respective agriculture offices and validated by the DA-Regional Office before endorsing to ACPC.

DA-ACPC has partnered with non-government financial institutions based in Region 1 for a transparent administering and implementation of the credit program.

Selected institutions were Cooperative Bank of La Union (La Union), Ilocos Consolidated Cooperative Bank (Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur), and Nueva Segovia Consortium of Cooperatives (Pangasinan). #