Imee assures rice farmers of P6B aid

By Dominic B. dela Cruz

Staff Reporter

Senator Ma. Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos assured rice farmers of P6.9 billion in additional aid by this month, in the form of palay purchases or cash, using undisbursed funds from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Ms. Marcos allayed worries that a memorandum of agreement among the DSWD, Department of Agriculture and National Food Authority to purchase palay from local farmers “was held in abeyance” following a Supreme Court decision in October preventing budget allocations for items not specified in the national budget through a mere resolution in Congress.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives earlier approved joint resolutions to convert cash aid from the DSWD’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) into rice, to be bought from local farmers unable to compete with cheap rice imports.

However, the high court ruling in the case of Ang Nars party list vs. the Executive Secretary et al. would require that the law enacting this year’s national budget, the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA), be amended before the relief measure could be implemented.

“The Senate hopes to amend the 4Ps allocations in the GAA by December, before the rice harvest season ends and unspent budget revert to the general fund,” Ms. Marcos said.

“As we speak, both Houses are rushing a bill, in compliance with the new Supreme Court ruling to amend GAA 2019, I am confident it will pass in time,” she added.

The P6.9-billion aid from the DSWD budget answers President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s call on lawmakers to help local rice farmers adjust to the rice tariffication law during the harvest season and will augment the P5,000 cash assistance promised by the Department of Agriculture before Christmas, Marcos added.

Comments

Empanada festival: A celebration of good taste and good life

By Dominic B. dela Cruz & Leilanie G. Adriano Staff reporters BATAC CITY—If there is one thing Batac is truly proud of, it would be its famous empanada-making business that has nurtured its people over the years. Embracing a century-old culture and culinary tradition, Batac’s empanada claims to be the best and tastiest in the country with its distinctive Ilokano taste courtesy of its local ingredients: fresh grated papaya, mongo, chopped longganisa, and egg. The crispy orange wrapper and is made of rice flour that is deep-fried. The celebration of this city’s famous traditional fast food attracting locals and tourists elsewhere comes with the City Charter Day of Batac every 23 rd of June. Every year, the City Government of Batac led by Mayor Jeffrey Jubal Nalupta commemorate the city’s charter day celebration to further promote its famous One-Town, One Product, the Batac empanada. Empanada City The Batac empanada festival has already become...

2020 Laoag City Traffic Code

Republic of the Philippines Province of Ilocos Norte CITY OF LAOAG SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD EXCERPT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE 58 TH REGULAR SESSION OF THE 11 TH SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF LAOAG HELD AT THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD SESSION HALL, LAOAG CITY ON OCTOBER 14, 2020. PRESENT: 1. Hon. Vicentito M. Lazo City Vice-Mayor/Presiding Officer Hon. Juan Conrado A. Respicio II S.P....

Marcos town celebrates 3rd Pinakbet Festival

MARCOS, Ilocos Norte—Taking pride of this town ’s favorite Ilo cano dish, locally known as pinakbet, a mix of indigenous vegetables steamed in fish sauce, residents here ushered the opening of the third Pinakbet festival. “Pinakbet” came from the contracted Ilokano word ‘pinakebbet ’ which means “ shrunk ” or “shriveled.” As a way of thanksgiving, the Pinakbet festival is a repository of the town ’ s “ani” [harvest] festival being celebrated every month of March but this was later moved to December to accommodate more balikbayans wanting to join the festivity. Residents in this agricultural town derived most of their income from the harvest of high value crops, including rice, tobacco and corn as staple crops. This year, the week-long festivity highlighted a grand parade around the town plaza and a pinakbet cook fest at the municipal gymnasium to showcase the best pinakbet in town. A boodle fight followed suit. Earlier, a fun run was participated by various groups ...

The Ilocos Times

Search This Blog