SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union: Thirty-six female cattle yearlings and eight carabaos (water buffalos) were recently dispersed free to 2,017 farmers from 14 barangay (villages) in this city, which were identified as tobacco-farming villages by the National Tobacco Administration (NTA), La Union manager Dominador Coy-o said. Flosie Decena, city veterinarian officer (CVO), told The Manila Times that the cattle distribution was a part of the tobacco farmers’ livelihood assistance, their share of tobacco excise tax (Republic Act 7171). The city government, under Mayor Hermenegildo Gualberto, has an allocation of P1.6 million from its share of the excise tax to fund the 44 heads of cattle for distribution. In the entire La Union, the municipality of Balaoan takes the lion’s share of the excise tax-estimated to reach P30 million-as the largest tobacco-producing town. It was also learned that the City Agriculture Office has an allocation, from the excise tax share for farm implements such as water pumps and fertilizers, which also for distribution to qualified farmer-beneficiaries.

Source: Manila Times September 21, 2018 16:30 UTC