Farmers and small businesses that will participate in the Kadiwa ng Pangulo activity here on July 17 may qualify for government assistance under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program. Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) provincial director Ma. Teresa Tanquiamco told the Philippine News Agency on Saturday that they will be facilitating the TUPAD enrollment for Kadiwa participants and the subsequent release of financial assistance during the event. The DOLE is one of the many participating agencies in the Kadiwa activity spearheaded by the Department of Agriculture (DA) – Central Visayas in cooperation with the provincial government of Negros Oriental. ‘The beneficiaries will receive the prescribed amount as stipulated in the TUPAD program, but we will only know the exact numbers on that day,’ Tanquiamco said. At least 10 farmers’ associations will be participating in the Kadiwa ng Pangulo on Monday at the capitol area here, Alejandro Rafal, Agricultural Program Coordinating Officer of DA-Negros Oriental, said in a separate interview. ‘We are now preparing the venue and will be putting up the booths by tomorrow (Sunday) so that the farmers and other businesses can start displaying their products prior to the opening ceremony on Monday,’ he said. The National Food Authority (NFA) will be selling government rice at PHP25 per kilo for a minimum of two kilos per person during the event, NFA manager for Negros Oriental and Siquijor Benilda Fidel said. She said they are allowed to sell 750 kilos of government rice during the Kadiwa program. ‘We no longer sell NFA rice to the public as mandated by law, as our supply is intended as buffer for calamities and other emergencies only but this time, we are allowed a certain volume to sell to the public during the Kadiwa in support of the President’s program,’ she said. The Department of Trade and Industry, meanwhile, has identified the 20 MSMEs that will participate in the activity, including those selling basic goods and prime commodities, said Nimfa Virtucio, the provincial agency head. The Kadiwa ng Pangulo is one of the programs of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr to address the rising cost of agricultural and other products. It is a marketing strategy that provides a direct marketing platform for farmers to sell their produce while consumers can have easy access to quality and safe food items, Rafal said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
