The newly minted agriculture chief kicked off last week his regional visits to distribute aid to farmers and fisherfolk amid the tragedy besetting the rice industry as palay prices continue to drop. Agriculture Secretary William Dar’s first stop was his hometown in Ilocos region, where he awarded P1.2 billion worth of agri-fishery projects following a three-day sortie. In a statement, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said it had given out P287 million to Ilocos Norte and P173 million to Ilocos Sur, while La Union received P121 million and Pangasinan, P628 million.

Ocampo, K. R. (2019, September 5). DA starts giving aid to farmers, fisherfolk. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. B6.