2,663 tobacco farmers from the municipalities of Luna, Aurora, Roxas, Burgos, and Mallig received financial assistance of P5,000.00 each from the Provincial Government. The distribution was personally administered by Gov. Rodito T. Albano III, Vice Gov. Bojie G. Dy III, the Mayors and other local officials of the said municipalities.
Aside from the financial assistance sourced from the Tobacco Excise Tax, the governor also announced that the Provincial Government will enroll all the tobacco farmers in the Social Security Service (SSS) and PAG-IBIG Fund. With their membership in SSS and PAGIBIG, the tobacco farmers are ensured of the opportunity to save and to obtain loans from the said institutions. The Governor emphasized that the Tobacco Excise Tax is intended for all tobacco farmers regardless of their areas of tillage, “everything it will be given to them because it is intended for them”.
Governor Rodolfo T. Albano III personally attended the Orientation and Seminar on the Nagkaisang Magsasaka ng Isabela Agriculture Cooperative (NMIAC) with simultaneous conduct and distribution of the BRO for Education Scholarship Allowance and Financial Assistance to Tobacco Farmers in the municipalities of Luna, Aurora, Roxas, Burgos, and Mallig from September 16 to 20, 2019. The orientation and seminar was spearheaded by former Congresswoman Ana S. Go and Provincial Cooperative Development Officer Lilia Castillo. The Governor himself answered questions from the rice farmers during an open forum, and he assured that the cooperative will work its best to help the farmers. The orientation and membership seminar enlisting has been made in 17 municipalities and 1 city with a total of 2,724 members registered. The cooperative was duly registered with the Cooperative and Development Authority last August 28, 2019.
October 12, 2019 – Senator Cynthia Villar was the Guest of Honor at the formal launching of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) in a jampacked Roxas Astrodome in Roxas, Isabela attended by rice farmers of the six congressional districts of Isabela. Villar was recently reelected as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food. She was the primary author of RA 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law that was enacted on February 14, 2019.
In her message to the rice farmers of the province of Isabela, she said that one of the key features of RA 11203 is the creation of the RCEF to protect the rice industry from sudden or extreme price fluctuations. RCEF consists of initial appropriation of P10 billion of the tariff collections on rice imports and shall be appropriated annually for rice farmers. RCEF will support greater farm mechanization, distribution of high-yield inbred seed, expanded rice credit assistance, and rice extension services or education in the rice industry
