By HENRY EMPEÑO | Iba, Zambales

ZAMBALES residents continue to receive food assistance or “ayuda” from the Zambales provincial government even as the province has allowed essential businesses to reopen and resume economic activities under the current general community quarantine (GCQ).

According to Zambales provincial administrator Jun Omar Ebdane, frontliners from the provincial government are still distributing the rest of one-half cavan of rice allotted for each of the families in the province.

“We have two more towns to go before all the distribution is done,” said Ebdane, the youngest son of Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.

“Just this weekend, we have completed distribution in all the barangays and sitios of San Felipe town. And we expect to finish up in the municipalities of Castillejos and Subic in the next few days,” he added.

Ebdane said the “ayuda” program has thus far provided three waves of assistance to all families in the 230 villages in the province.

“The provincial government gave the first assistance last March in the form of P25,000 in cheques to all the 230 barangays. This was meant to augment their calamity fund,” Ebdane explained.

“Then last April, we distributed food packs to all households, followed by the half-cavan rice this May,” he added.

The assistance program was duly approved by the provincial board headed by Vice Governor Jefferson Khonghun, Ebdane also said.

Eric Matibag, one of the team leaders in the “ayuda” distribution program, said the project has brought them even to the remotest villages in the province with the help from local officials and volunteers.

“We have climbed mountain trails to reach Ayta mountain villages, crossed lahar plains, and rode boats to get to fishing communities,” Matibag said. “Ang bilin ni governor, walang iwanan, kaya lahat n’yan ay nasuyod namin para sa ayuda (The governor’s order was not to leave anyone out, so we have combed all areas in order to provide the food assistance).”

Earlier, Gov. Ebdane said in a public briefing that residents would have to resume livelihood activities to help the government weather the economic effects of the three-month lockdown since March.

“From a health point of view, it may be early to lift the lockdown, but we cannot sustain this food assistance program any longer because the provincial government also did not have much income during the quarantine,” the elder Ebdane said.

Ebdane said the provincial government must embark on projects to stimulate the local economy, provide jobs and food security, as well as generate income for the provincial government.

In particular, Ebdane tasked the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAO) to initiate agro-fishery programs to ensure the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for Zambaleños during and after the quarantine period.

PAO head Russel Quitaneg said his office has prepared various programs that covered backyard food production, rice resiliency, food accessibility and affordability measures, and cash assistance and aid for marginalized farmers and fisherfolk.

As of now, there are only two remaining active cases of Covids-19 infection in the province, out of the 24 thus far recorded since the outbreak. A total of 21 patients in Zambales have thus far recovered from the disease, while one has died.

Provincial Health Officer Noel Bueno said in the latest Covid-19 update here that 17 “suspect” cases who were reactive in rapid diagnostic testing had now been proven negative according to results released by the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital on June 4.