DA: Corn farmers, fishers' P3-K fuel subsidy released on March 17

The P3,000 fuel subsidy for corn farmers and fisherfolk will be distributed starting Thursday, March 17, 2022, Agriculture Secretary William Dar said Wednesday.

"Starting tomorrow, I will be in Tacloban, and with the President. [We] will roll out of the fuel subsidy for fishers and corn farmers,” Dar said during PTV’s Laging Handa briefing.

“Tuloy-tuloy na iyan sa iba't ibang dako ng Pilipinas hangga't maibigay natin iyong first tranche na P500 million,” he said.

(It will be continuous to every part of the Philippines until we have exhausted the P500 million for the first tranche.)

About 160,000 farmers and fisherfolk will receive a P3,000 fuel subsidy from the government to ease the impact of the series of fuel price hikes on their livelihood.

Last week, the Department of Budget and Management released the P2.5 billion and P500 for the first tranche fuel subsidy funds for the PUV and agriculture sectors.

The released funds are charged against the 2022 budget of the DA wherein it has an allocation of P500 million to provide assistance through fuel discounts to farmers and fisherfolk who either individually own and operate agricultural and fishery machinery or operate through a farmers organization or cooperative.

For the second tranche, targeted for distribution in April, it would source the money from excess revenues to be collected as of end-March this year.

"Again to highlight, the fuel subsidy will be rolled out tomorrow in Tacloban giving P3,000 per corn farmer or fisher at mabibigyan itong mga corn farmers at fishers ng fuel discount vouchers."

Dar said rice farmers were excluded from the fuel subsidy program as they are supported by a yearly cash grant program called Rice Farmer Financial Assistance (RFFA), where they receive P5,000 in cash aid.

Likewise he said that rice farmers are scheduled to receive their P5,000 cash aid in April.

“Again to highlight, the fuel subsidy will be rolled out tomorrow in Tacloban giving P3,000 per corn farmer or fisher. Mabibigyan itong mga corn farmers at fishers ng fuel discount vouchers (corn farmers and fishers will be given discount vouchers),” he said.

“At ito iyong dadalhin nila sa mga accredited fuel stations or gas stations ng bansa (They will present the vouchers at accredited fuel stations or gas stations in the country),” he said.

The DA is working with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) for the distribution of the cards that will be used by the beneficiaries.