With lesser number of people going to the town of Paete due to the threat of COVID-19, Vice Mayor Aurelio Paraiso said that wood carvers there have gone online to market their products as means to cushion impacts of the pandemic.
In an interview on Monday, he said that selling their products and services online have helped revive the livelihood of their constituents, especially now that Christmas season is already approaching and many are patronizing their decorative products.
“Medyo nakakabangon na nang paunti-unti ang ekonomiya ng bayan ng Paete [The economy of Paete is gradually recovering],” he said during the Network Briefing News with host Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar.
He also noted that they are monitoring the situation of their sea-based and overseas Filipino workers, who were affected by the travel restrictions back to their jobs abroad.
Paete is known as the wood carving capital of the Philippines and its industry is gradually returning to its feet amid the pandemic, while the local government continues to aid them.
“Nagbigay po ng ayuda ang pamahalaang bayan dun sa mga small and medium entrepreneurs ng puhunan na walang tubo para unti-unting makabangon yung ating mga maliliit na nagnenegosyo [The municipal government has provided loan without interest to small and medium entrepreneurs so they can recover],” Vice Mayor Aurelio added.
Typhoon-hit farmers in Visayas receive assistance from DA
In the same episode, the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Visayas (OPAV) Assistant Secretary Jonji Gonzales reported initiatives of the Department of Agriculture (DA) across the islands of Visayas.
He said that the regional counterpart of the DA continues to implement its programs for its farmer-beneficiaries, especially in typhoon-hit areas such as Iloilo, as part of the Typhoon Ursula rehabilitation Program of DA – Western Visayas.
The said program was sourced under the agency’s quick response fund.
“The program aims to distribute 2, 695 heads of native chicken. Inaasahang makukumpleto ng DA ang distribusyon ng mga ito under the DA quick response fund for Typhoon Ursula before the end of the year,” Asec. Gonzales said.
Livestock were distributed in the towns of Batad, Concepcion, and Estancia.
Meanwhile in Central Visayas, the DA turned over farm machineries and hybrid rice seeds to farmers in Jagna, Bohol.
DA-7 distributed 4 units of Pump Irrigation System Open Source (PISOS) complete with pump and engine sets and pipes. Along with these is a unit of hand tractor.
According to Asec. Gonzales, the municipality of Jagna is one of the LGUs that responded to the challenge of DA Secretary William Dar of increasing farm production by at least 10%.
