By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Doubling down on the government’s agenda to alleviate hunger and poverty, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the inspection of the implementation of the Department of Agriculture’s (D.A.) Enhanced Partnership Against Hunger and Poverty (EPAHP) Program and Department of Social Welfare and Development ’s (DSWD) Walang Gutom Program (WGP) in Surallah, South Cotabato on Thursday.
He was accompanied by D.A. Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. and DSWD Sec. Rex Gatchalian on a tour of the stalls offering fresh produce to 7,728 WGP beneficiaries through the farm-to-table partnership of both agencies.
Through the WGP, the administration aims to uplift the lives of 600,000 food-poor households this 2026, with the goal of reaching 750,000 households by 2027.
Meanwhile, in a separate engagement in Koronadal City, President Marcos Jr. facilitated the ‘Bawat Bayan Makikinabang’ Program for the provinces of South Cotabato and Cotabato.
During the event, he led the turnover of the Socio-Civic Projects Fund, with P40 million given to the provincial government of the latter and P96 million to the provincial government of the former.
The President also participated in the distribution of 10 kilogram sacks of rice to their respective beneficiaries, with the DSWD also extending additional financial support for families reeling from the effects of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake in Southern Mindanao through the agency’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) Program.
This is on top of the P20 million Quick Response Fund that was earlier mobilized by concerned agencies in the immediate aftermath of the tremor that rattled several provinces in Southern Mindanao.
President Marcos Jr. addressed the audience, “Malakas ang loob ko na magbigay sa ating mga local government dahil alam ko na nakabantay ang taumbayan, at alam ko namang ang mga local government ay tapat sa kanilang serbisyo sa tao.”
Earlier, the Chief Executive led the inauguration of the Antong Dam and Irrigation System Project in Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat.
The P1 billion project, consisting of a dam structure, 110-meter hanging bridge, and protective dikes reinforcing the riverbanks, is set to benefit up to 355 farmers and 3,000 hectares of farmland in barangays Antong, Sampong, and Manili, as well as aid in preventing floods in the area. (with report from Kenneth Paciente | PTV News)
av
