(NORTHERN SAMAR PROVINCIAL TOURISM OFFICE)
As pledged by PBBM
MATAG-OB,Leyte– This town is now selling at P20 per kilogram of rice, targeting only the poorest of the poor as beneficiaries.
And they were able to accomplish this with the able support of a private organization, says Mayor Bernandino ‘Bernie’ Tacoy.
Tacoy said that he is thankful that the I-unlad Kabuhayan Foundation is helping his farmers increase their yields by providing them fertilizers through loans.
The town mayor said that the foundation provides five bottles of liquid fertilizers to the more than 400 farmers of which one bottle is considered free.
“And in turn, the farmers who have secured loans from the I-unlad Kabuhayan Foundation are to give five kilograms to the foundation as part of their payment,” Tacoy said on Saturday (May 11).
The surplus collected from the farmers were then sold at P20 per kilogram, the town mayor said.
“Unfortunately, we are only targeting the poorest people of Matag-ob like senior citizens who have no income of their own,” Tacoy said.
“This is in response to the promise of our beloved President, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., to sell rice at P20 per kilogram,” the town mayor added, referring to the promise of then presidential candidate Marcos to sell rice at P20 per kilogram once he gets elected.
The promise has yet to be largely achieved.
Last May 8, the municipal government and the I-unlad Foundation were able to sell at P20 per kilogram to the more than 1,500 poor families of Matag-ob, about 105 kms away from Tacloban City.
Each of the buyers was only allowed five kilograms of the premium rice, Tacoy said.
The money collected from those who bought the rice goes to the foundation.
Tacoy said that he hopes that they can sustain this program with the continued assistance of the I-unlad Kabuhayan Foundation, a Manila-based group that assists farmers in the country to have their yield increase by providing organic fertilizers.
He added that the availability of rice being sold at P20 per kilogram would depend on the supply though.
The rice prices at the town’s public market and various stores, however, remain high at more than P50 per kilogram, depending on the variety.
The town has more than 1,000 registered farmers tilling over 1,400 hectares of farm lots.
Last year, Matag-ob produced 4,122.38 tons of palay.
JOEY A. GABIETA
