More than 6,000 El Niño-affected farmers and fisherfolk in Kalinga and Apayao received P44 million worth of aid from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), 5,857 farmers and fisherfolk were given temporary employment under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) Program.

Meanwhile, 359 beneficiaries were provided livelihood assistance under the Kabuhayan Program.

The DILEEP assistance was among the various government aid awarded by President R. Marcos Jr. during the “Bagong Pilipinas: Tulong sa Magsasaka at Mangingisda Program,” in Luna, Apayao.

Marcos awarded the wages of TUPAD beneficiaries amounting to P36.8 million and livelihood assistance amounting to P7.5 million.

The President also underscored that the administration’s “whole-of- government approach” is crucial in helping the Cordillera region recover from the effects of El Niño.

The drought has caused P1.24 billion in agricultural damage and affected 28,000 farmers and fisherfolk.