Typhoon-affected farmers in the 3rd district of Quezon received P14.7 million worth of agricultural interventions from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region IV-CALABARZON, held at the Municipal Covered Court in Brgy. Poblacion, Buenavista, Quezon on October 29, 2020.

The value of agricultural aid received by each municipality was as follows: P1,231,000 (Agdangan), P2,504,040 (Buenavista), P1,424,289 (Catanauan), P769,980 (General Luna), P1,471,000 (Macalelon), P974,000 (Mulanay), P913,400 (Padre Burgos), P581,000 (Pitogo), P823,000 (San Andres), P1,334,000 (San Narciso), and P998,540 (Unisan). An additional assistance of P407,500 was also granted to the 3rd district of Quezon.

On behalf of provincial governor Hon. Danilo E. Suarez and 3rd District of Quezon Representative Congresswoman Aleta C. Suarez, Kalipunan ng mga Kababaihan sa Quezon president Atty. Joanna C. Suarez expressed her deep appreciation to DA for their never-ending support to farmers in the 3rd district.

“Our district is very fortunate to be one of the areas in CALABARZON to be visited and granted with DA interventions, especially after everything we’ve experienced with the typhoons in addition to this current pandemic. In reality, we, the people in the government, are lucky because farmers like you still trust in us to provide you with much-needed assistance. Together with DA, Gov. Suarez and Cong. Suarez will never stop supporting you,” Atty. Suarez said.

Regional Director Arnel V. de Mesa shared his appreciation for the continued work of farmers in Quezon. He said that, with their hard work and perseverance, the agriculture sector is the only sector in the Philippines to achieve a positive growth in the Gross Domestic Product.

“It is not too long before we hear about our sector’s performance in the third quarter, but I strongly believe that we have exceeded expectations and attained higher growth. This will not be possible without you, our farmers, who are never tired of giving us sufficient and quality food on our tables. I guarantee you that the regional office will not stop from helping you, especially during these trying times of typhoons and the pandemic,” Director de Mesa said.

Director de Mesa also announced an additional P24-billion fund from the national government for the agriculture sector to be allocated within the year. Therefore, this will not be the last intervention that the 3rd District of Quezon will receive this year. He assured that DA will return with more assistance so that we can achieve food resilience in CALABARZON after being severely devastated by unprecedented weather conditions.

Mr. Pepe Cueva, member of Hagonghong Farmers’ Association, said that they were able to utilize previous interventions from DA, but by the time they were about to harvest their produce, they were flattened by recent typhoons. He said that to be able to receive more assistance is such a blessing and that they are very thankful for DA’s continued support to Quezon farmers.

“Malaki po ang nalugi naming mga magsasaka gawa ng nagdaang mga kalamidad. Kaya naman ang tulong na hatid ng Kagawaran ay napakahalaga upang kaming mga magsasaka ay makabangon muli,” Mr. Cueva said. (MAP, DA-RAFIS)