VILLASIS–Farmers and irrigators associations here were among the latest batch of beneficiaries of the micro-financing program of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.

The groups received P100,000 each last February 21 from Cayetano during simple a simple turn-over event at the Villasis Municipal Hall.

“Bagamat maliit na amount…pagtulung-tulungan natin itong mapalago,” Cayetano said.

The program, which is in line with the senator’s “Presyo, Trabaho, Kita, Kaayusan” (PTKK) advocacy, is based on three conditions: members have easy access to funds with less documentary requirements; the preferred interest rate will be 1.5% to 3%; and enforcement mechanism to assure responsible payments should be in place.

Cayetano sourced the initial P2.5 million capital for the program from friends.
The senator told the beneficiaries that once the seed fund grows, he will be able to go back to the donors for additional capital.

He also called on other private and public groups in Pangasinan to help bankroll the micro-financing program or start their own projects .

Villasis Municipal Agriculturist Cornelio Atchuela said the municipal government has a similar program for its farmers, albeit in the form of subsidies.

“We provide subsidies for vegetable farming, land preparation, and procurement of seeds,” Atchuela said.
The irrigators association head by Oftociano Manalo said they are yet to meet as a group to work out the details on how they will use the P100,000.

Earlier, Cayetano turned over funds for micro-financing for benefit of fish traders in Dagupan City and to a student’s group in Batangas City.

DAGUPAN

In Dagupan last Friday, Cayetano also handed a P100,000 seed money to the CSI Lucao-Downtown Drivers and Operators Association  headed by Fernandino Lantin.

This is the second P100,000 Cayetano distributed in Dagupan City, first was in December 2013 with the Ulupan na Sumisigay ed Dagupan headed by Rony Cayabyab as beneficiary.

The senator urged the jeepney drivers association to use the fund to lend money to their members for buying spare parts or as emergency boundary payment instead of turning to loan sharks.

He also urged the CSI Lucao-Downtown Jeepney Drivers and Operators to form a cooperative so that they can help more members and see their money grow.

Cayetano said he will set up mechanism and monitoring systems to find out how many have availed of the loan and the effect of the funds to members of the associations and cooperatives.–Johanne R. Macob and LVM

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