BONTOC, Mountain Province – The Municipal Disability Affairs Office (MDAO) here distributed assistive devices to 26 persons with disability in the municipality.
The assistive devices distributed to PWDs identified and assessed by the MDAO include 19 single canes, three quad canes, one walker, two cerebral palsy wheelchairs, and one motorized wheelchair.
Municipal Disability Affairs Officer I Maria Codeo said the undertaking aimed to provide orthopedic PWDs appropriate assistive devices in order to prevent accidents and promote inclusivity in the community.
Mayor Jerome Tudlong, Jr. who led the turnover on Aug. 22 at the Municipal Capitol, said providing social services is one of the LGU’s priority programs.
“As we move towards the attainment of a dynamic Bontoc, promoting inclusion and providing assistance to ensure the safety of the differently-abled individuals need to be given utmost importance,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture and the Municipal Agriculturist started the distribution of the first release of Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) program.
The RFFA program through the DA’s Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) aims to assist smallholder rice farmers who are affected by the drop in palay or rice grain prices.
Assistant Municipal Agriculturist Catherine Agcon said 2,195 rice farmers in the municipality are the beneficiaries for this year’s RFFA program.
For the first release of the RFFA, 1,426 eligible rice farmers in the municipality will receive their grant amounting to P5,000 each from the DA’s partner remittance center after claiming their stubs at the OMAG.
The remaining 769 qualified rice farmers will receive the same amount on the second release of the RFFA.
Based on Memorandum Order 30 of the DA, the beneficiaries must be registered in the Registry System for Basic Sector Agriculture and must be farming rice areas at least 0.5 hectares but not exceeding two hectares. – Christy Mae Che-es
