President Marcos has assured farmers affected by recent typhoons in La Union that opportunities will be given to them to recover from their losses.

"[M]araming oportunidad na ating ibinibigay sa ating mga kasama upang… Kaya naman e, tinamaan tayo ng bagyo, tinamaan tayo ng sakuna ay sana naman e, ito’y makakatulong (We are providing many opportunities for our colleagues so that… And so, when we are struck by a typhoon or a calamity, hopefully this will be of help)," Marcos said.

The President made the assurance during his visit in San Fernando City, La Union on Friday, Sept. 26, to distribute assistance to farmers and affected families.

Marcos observed the distribution of fuel assistance cards worth P3,000 each to 275 farmer-recipients who own or rent agricultural machinery used for crop, livestock and poultry production, and are registered in the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture.

The Fuel Assistance to Farmers Project of the Department of Agriculture (DA) supports farmers who operate farm machinery, acknowledging that fuel costs are among the most significant operating expenses in farming.

It aims to improve resilience and buffer the impact of rising oil prices on the farming sector.

Another kind of the assistance provided during Marcos' visit was the emergency cash transfer payout from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which provides unconditional cash assistance to help families severely affected by recent weather disturbances in La Union.

It aims to address urgent needs, support recovery, and assist with the renovation of damaged houses.

Each of the 800 families received P10,179 from the DSWD. They also received family food packs as complementary assistance.

Moreover, the DA has also provided inorganic fertilizers as a subsidy to farmers for priority commodities like rice to increase production and farm yield of the country’s food staple, lower production costs, and promote the combined use of organic and inorganic fertilizers to maintain soil health and productivity, thereby reducing reliance on single fertilizer types.

A total of 1,207 fertilizer bags, each weighing 50 kilograms, were awarded to the local government units of San Fernando City, San Juan and Bacnotan through the municipal agriculturists.

Marcos recognized that the assistance was not enough, but assured them that the government stands ready to help them.

He also told them that the budget intended for flood-control projects have been reallocated to fund relief assistance to Filipinos.

"Kaya’t e, itinigil ko lahat ‘yan para matiyak natin na tama naman ang paggamit ng pera ninyo dahil pera ninyo ito eh. Hindi pera ng gobyerno ito e, pera ng taumbayan ito eh. Kaya’t nakaka – tinitiyak natin na tama ang gawa (That’s why I stopped all of that to make sure that your money is being used properly, because this is your money. This is not the government’s money; this is the people’s money. That’s why we are making sure that everything is done correctly)," he said.