P180-M emergency employment, cash aid for El Niño-hit Antiqueños

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA: Nearly 29,000 Antiqueños affected by the El Niño phenomenon stand to benefit from the PHP180 million assistance from the national government. Seven out of 18 municipalities received aid under the labor department's Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) program and the social welfare department's Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) on Thursday. The 18 towns will each receive PHP5 million for emergency employment and another PHP5 million for assistance to their constituents in crisis situations. The TUPAD aid will be channeled to 16,200 beneficiaries across the province, and the AICS to 12,288 beneficiaries. "The government agencies are releasing TUPAD and AICS to help you," Senator Loren Legarda said as she led the ceremonial distribution at the Lieberman Gym in Pandan town. The initial beneficiaries of the TUPAD program are Pandan, Sebaste, Libertad, Tibiao, Barbaza, Caluya, and Culasi. Concerned agencies intend to complete the di stribution to cover the remaining 11 towns on Saturday. Local government units submitted their proposals to the office of Legarda, who wanted them to embark on sustainable projects, such as community gardening to ensure food security. Personnel of the Department of Social Welfare and Development also conducted the payout of PHP5,000 each to recipients of the AICS. Data from the Office of Civil Defense showed that as of March 12, El Niño has affected 2,654.88 hectares planted with various crops in Antique, with losses amounting to more than PHP130 million. Source: Philippines News Agency