THE Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has set aside P300 million to aid thousands of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
Agrarian Reform Secretary John R. Castriciones said that the P300 million will be sourced from reprogrammed and realigned funds for the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development Sustainability Program and unobligated allotments from various units of the DAR Support Services Office (SSO).
“This project intends to provide immediate and essential support services to men and women ARBs to mitigate the impact of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) measures due to the pandemic and to address the demands affecting the agricultural sector even after the ECQ has been lifted” Mr. Castriciones said.
The project aligns with the goals of Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.
Mr. Castriciones directed DAR Undersecretary Emily O. Padilla to draft guidelines for the implementation of the project.
Ms. Padilla said that the project will provide mechanisms for the ARBs to continue operating their farms.
“We are assisting the farmers in the distribution and delivery of agri-commodities by issuing quarantine accreditation passes so they can pass through checkpoints easily, especially in critical areas under ECQ,” Ms. Padilla said.
As of April 24, a total of 629 quarantine accreditation passes have been distributed to ARBs and agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs).
The project seeks to provide ARBOs farm inputs such as seedlings, fertilizer, pesticide, and farm tools to enable them to resume planting. The distributions will cover about 7,000 hectares. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
