More than 158,000 corn farmers and fisherfolk affected by the increasing prices of oil products will benefit from the P1.1 billion fuel subsidy from the national government, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Thursday, March 24.

According to DA Assistant Secretary Noel Reyes, a total of 158,730 beneficiaries registered under the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) will receive P3,000 worth of fuel subsidy each.

“Mahigit 5,000 [ang nakatanggap] doon sa Zambales, sa Tacloban 1,000 mahigit (Over 5,000 already benefited from the fuel subsidy in Zambales and over 1,000 in Tacloban),” Reyes said over Laging Handa briefing.

Reyes explained that these subsidies would be given to farmers and fishers in the form of cards issued by the state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). Beneficiaries may then present these cards to the Department of Energy (DOE) accredited fuel stations to purchase fuel.

He also assured other beneficiaries that the department has already coordinated with its regional offices for the continuous distribution of P500 million worth of fuel subsidy, adding that another batch of fuel subsidy worth P600 million will also be given to other RSBSA-registered beneficiaries.

In an earlier statement, the DA said it also provides P5,000 worth of Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund-Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RCEF-RFFA) and fertilizers and seeds for rice farmers, aside from the fuel subsidy for corn farmers and fishers.

SOURCE: https://mb.com.ph/