A TOTAL of 166 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from three municipalities in Negros Occidental received relief support from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Negros Occidental, Monday, May 25.
This brought to a total of 600 ARBs, who already received the aid packages since the distribution started on May 21 under the "Passover: Arbold Move to Heal as One Deliverance of our ARBs from the Covid-19 Pandemic" project of the agency.
The figure is 14.87 percent of the 4,034 ARBs in southern portion of the province targeted to receive the aid.
The packages contain four kilograms of rice, canned goods, noodles and hygiene kits.
Of the total number of recipients, 82 are from various barangays of La Castellana, 49 from Barangay Guintubhan in Isabela town while the remaining 35 beneficiaries are from different barangays of Hinigaran.
Isabela Municipal Agrarian Reform Program Officer Betheresa Zamora, who led the distribution of aid packages in the town, said despite the holiday, the personnel of DAR-Negros Occidental II devoted their rest day to this kind of "humanitarian" activity.
Zamora said the personnel have performed the mandate of the Arbold Move Project, which is to provide immediate assistance to farmers to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
"We are directed by OIC-Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II Arnulfo Figueroa to expedite the distribution of aid packages to ARBs because they need this kind of immediate assistance," she said, adding that "this is only one of the four components of the project by which we are mandated to implement as soon as possible."
Other components of the project involved the provision of farm inputs to agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (Arbos) and extending assistance to women ARBs by giving them livelihood activities such as food production and hog fattening.
Also, the project is in response to Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.