A total of P1.37 billion in cash assistance to farmers, fisherfolks and their families from 17 towns in Cagayan Valley as well as a number of regions in the Visayas and Mindanao who were affected by the El Niño phenomenon were already given by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

“This aid distribution is part of President Marcos’ Presidential Assistance to Farmers, Fisherfolks, and their Families (PAFFF) that aims to address the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon, especially on the agriculture and fisheries sectors,” DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group (DRMG) Irene Dumlao said on Tuesday (2 July).

Dumlao, who is also the DSWD spokesperson, said some 137,333 beneficiaries from the select sectors were given P10,000 each under the agency’s Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP).

The AKAP is the recently launched program of the DSWD that provides social aid to individuals who may not have access to regular forms of assistance because they do not belong to the poorest population.

Of the total amount of assistance, Cagayan de Oro in Northern Mindanao received the biggest chunk with over P113.8 million for some 11,385 recipients.

During the PAFFF distribution on Thursday (28 June) in Bohol where the President was joined by DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian, the Chief Executive said in his speech that he has expanded the duties of the DSWD to not just providing assistance during typhoons and other calamities.