Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Samsam Gullas meets with the city’s farmers to hear their grievances. | Photo Courtesy of Talisay City PIO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Talisay City is mulling the granting of calamity loans to farmers in the mountain barangays through private cooperatives.
Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas met with farmers on November 18, 2020, to discuss their needs as they were greatly affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
At least 13 farmers appealed to Gullas and the Department of Agriculture (DA) to help them.
The loan will be courtesy of the DA’s Expanded Sure Aid and Recovery Project, which provides assistance to farmers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The DA, through its Agricultural Credit and Policy Council (DA-ACPC) granted loans to the Cebu People’s Multipurpose Cooperative under its Expanded Sure Aid and Recovery Project (SURE Covid-19).
Through these partnerships, the CPMC can help farmers and fishermen in Cebu who were greatly affected by the pandemic to avail of interest-free loans to support their farming and fishing activities.
“While DA and CPMC do much of the work, we, the City, can help in processing the documentary requirements needed by the farmers,” said Gullas.
“What we aim for is to help these farmers by giving them the needed boost so that they can continue doing their work amidst this pandemic.”
The mayor assured to help facilitate the distribution of these loans so that all farmer cooperatives in the city will benefit from such. /rcg