P44M-aid released to over 6,000 El Niño-hit farmers, fishermen in Cordillera Region – DOLE
By Trixee Rosel

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has disbursed a total of P44 million worth of assistance to 6,216 farmers and fishermen in the Cordillera Administration Region (CAR) who suffered from the dry spell and drought caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, it said on Friday, Aug. 16.
Through the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (DILEEP), the aid includes temporary jobs for 5,857 farmers and fishermen in Kalinga and Apayao under the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged Workers (TUPAD) Program and livelihood support for 359 beneficiaries through the Kabuhayan Program.
The financial support is part of a broader government initiative unveiled by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during the “Bagong Pilipinas: Tulong sa Magsasaka at Mangingisda Program” in Luna, Apayao.
Marcos outlined the distribution of P36.8 million for TUPAD wages and P7.5 million for livelihood assistance.
Highlighting a comprehensive “whole-of-government approach,” Marcos stressed the necessity for extensive measures to address the region's drought-induced challenges, which have led to P1.24 billion in agricultural losses and affected 28,000 local farmers and fishermen.
The effort is supported by various government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Department of Trade and Industry, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.