Farmer Desie Suco Paalisbon has to take an hour-long boat ride to get the free inbred palay seeds and fertilizer courtesy of the government's Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

But the supplies are not solely for her as Paalisbon, a reelected barangay kagawad or village councilor, is also an officer of the Barangay Angeles Farmers Association in Zamboanga del Sur.

Thus, she advises her fellow farmers, those listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture, when the RCEF supplies are available for pickup.

She said she and her fellow farmers started receiving benefits from the RCEF in 2020, which offset their problem with rats and stem borers during the dry season and floods during the rainy season.

Her usual yield is 30 to 40 sacks of about 65 kilograms each during the wet season crop and 50 sacks or more (70 kilos per sack) during the dry season crop.

She bases her river crossing schedule for the RCEF supplies on the high and low tide days of the calendar.

With El Niño just around the corner, she said, she and her fellow farmers might be forced to switch to planting other crops like corn and mongo.

She said they produce more using the RCEF seeds.

"Why will you not be proud in your heart knowing that PhilRice never stopped trying… and our farmers never stopped trusting the service we bring them," said PhilRice Director Dr. John de Leon, reacting to her testimonial praising the higher-yielding PhilRice seeds.