A total of 368 fishermen from Metro La Paz in this city who will be affected by the dredging project at the Padsan River each received PHP3,000 cash assistance on Friday.
The assistance was provided by the He Sha Prime Sand and Gravel Aggregates Philippines Inc., the contractor tasked to restore the natural flow of the heavily-silted Padsan River as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Gov. Matthew Joseph Manotoc assured the affected local fishermen that the provincial government is ready to extend any form of assistance to them to ensure that they will still have an alternative source of income or livelihood.
“As I have promised before, all your concerns will be properly addressed. Just let us know how we can help you should you need multiple sources of livelihood and we will take care of you,” he said in his short speech prior to the distribution of cash assistance at the Laoag central terminal on Friday.
To clean up the Laoag Padsan River, which is prone to flooding due to heavy siltation, the Ilocos Norte government has opened the river for dredging starting from the mouth of the river in Barangay Gabu all the way upstream of more than 5 kilometers.
The actual dredging is set by the end of this month. Even if the project has yet to commence, villagers who will be affected by the massive dredging project, such as those who derive their livelihood from fishing and gathering freshwater shells, have already received cash assistance.
Local fishermen hoped that in the long run, they will get the most benefit from the project as assured by the governor and the dredging contractor.
Under the revenue-sharing agreement, 40 percent of extraction fees will go to the host barangays while the city and provincial governments will receive a share of 30 percent each. (Leilanie Adriano)
(Source : PNA-Ilocos Norte)