The Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Credit Policy Council (DA-ACPC) under its Expanded Survival and Recovery Project (SURE COVID-19) disbursed emergency loans to 174 farmers in Cebu City amounting to P4.35 million.

Cebu City has an allocation of P7.2 million loan funds to benefit a total of 289 farmers under the SURE COVID-19 program – which provides an emergency loan of P25,000 with no interest, no collateral, and payable up to 10 years – to help farmers and fishers recuperate from the effects of the current health crisis to their livelihoods.

Cebu People’s Multi-Purpose Cooperative (CPMPC), an existing lending conduit of ACPC in Cebu, facilitated the release of funds to cutflower and vegetable farmers in the Queen City of the South.

“Dahil sa programang ito, naipagpapatuloy nila ang kanilang pagtatanim ng gulay, patuloy ang kita nila. Naramdaman din nila ang ang suporta at malasakit ng gobyerno,” said Mariepeth D. Masion, CPMPC special project officer.

According to Alma Marie Cornel, DA-ACPC focal person for Cebu, the release was done in batches to minimize the number of participants, with strict observance to health protocols set by the government.

Efforts are already being made to fast track the disbursements of the remaining funds.