BACOLOD City – A total of 2,150 fisherfolk from the 5th District of Negros Occidental received cash assistance under the Ayuda para sa Kapos ang Kita (AKAP) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
AKAP is a strategic response by the national government targeting families whose earnings do not surpass the statutory minimum wage — P480 per day for non-agricultural work and P440 for agricultural work.
The distribution of cash amounting to P3,000 each to beneficiaries was held on Saturday, May 18, at the Hinigaran town gymnasium.
Beneficiaries were selected based on the respective fisherfolk registry of each local government unit.
“The list of beneficiaries was drawn from the registry of fisherfolk in our area. We worked with fisherfolk associations to verify their identities as this is the only reliable way to confirm that they are indeed fisherfolk,” said 5th District’s Cong. Dino Yulo, who was also present during the distribution.
He added that fisherfolk were prioritized being one of the most disadvantaged sectors in the region.
In Negros Occidental alone, the DSWD has identified 7,440 families as target beneficiaries for the program.
“We are glad that this time the ‘near poor,’ who are also contributing in our economy, get the assistance from the government. This is the sector that we do not want to fall back to poverty due to economic shocks such as the inflation,” said DSWD Region 6 director Atty. Carmelo Nochete. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
