DAR reaches out ARBs in far-flung Northern Samar villages

By DEBORAH BIANES
September 3, 2020

CATARMAN, Northern Samar – The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) continues in reaching out to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in far-flung villages in this province to provide farm production assistance as the nation faces health emergency crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

After distributing supplemental food, vitamins and hygiene kits to 535 ARBs throughout the province, DAR is now distributing farm production inputs to 638 ARBs under the second component of the PaSSOver: ARBold Move for Deliverance of ARBs from the COVID-19 Pandemic project.

DAR Northern Samar Provincial Office started delivering farm production inputs comprising of garden tools and different varieties of vegetable seeds to the Municipal Agrarian Reform Offices (MAROs) in the province’s 24 towns in mid-July this year.

However, staff of the different MAROs tasked to distribute the said items to the intended agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) are having hard time penetrating many areas in the province.

According to Sheila Jean Oronos, Agrarian Reform Program Technologist (ARPT) assigned in San Jose town, there are areas which could not be accessed by any type of vehicle that one needs to hike several kilometers or cross rivers to reach these remote villages.

“But no matter how far these areas are, we are determined to bring these items to our ARBs,” Oronos added.

She further said that by merely seeing the recipients happy after receiving the garden tools and seeds relieve them from exhaustion.

At the moment, 596 ARBs, or 93.42 percent of the 638 targeted ARBs in the entire province have already been provided with farm inputs, with each receiving a rake, a shovel, a garden knife, and five varieties of vegetable seeds.

During the initial distribution held in Catarman, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II (PARPO II) Nida Abelido emphasized to the recipient-ARBs the importance of farming during this time of pandemic.