ILOILO City – An amount of P6 million has been allotted by the Iloilo provincial government in order to provide Ilonggos with vegetables while under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said on April 4 that the vegetables will be sourced from local farmers.
“I said last time that we hope there will be someone who will buy products from our farmers because they produce a lot and we don’t want it to rot,” Defensor stressed.
“This is important because we have to sustain the economy. They (farmers) have to benefit from it,” he added.
The vegetables, along with rice, will be received by the beneficiaries identified by the province.
Also, the provincial government is providing its 42 local government units (LGUs) with P1 million cash aid, while the town of Guimbal is receiving P1.5 million.
As of April 3, 30 LGUs have already received financial assistance. Among those is the municipality of Sara. Mayor Jon Aying said the money provided by the provincial government will be used to augment relief assistance for the town’s 15,278 households.
On April 1, Sara started distributing fresh vegetables along with rice, canned goods and pack of noodles to its locals affected by the ECQ.
Meanwhile, the town of Miagao is assisting its agriculture sector by helping them market their produce.
Frea Monsale of the Office of the Municipal Agriculturist said that produce of local farmers are being sold in satellite markets of the town.
She added: “This is the local government’s initiative to support farmers in marketing their produce since they find it hard to transport the goods from farm to market.”
Miagao’s farmers supply the satellite
markets in 12 villages to avoid decongestion in the town’s public market.
Iloilo province’s enhanced community quarantine started on March 20 and will
end on April 14.(With a report from PNA/PN)
