The provincial government of Surigao del Norte handed over 30,000 sacks of rice to the city government of Surigao for distribution to residents in 54 barangays (villages).

Each sack weighs 10 kilograms. Mayor Pablo Yves Dumlao II formally received the rice from Governor Robert Lyndon Barbers during a turnover ceremony on Wednesday.

“The rice aid came from the national government and was coursed through the provincial government,” the Surigao City Public Information Office (PIO) said in a statement on Thursday.

Beneficiaries are residents registered under the Community-Based Monitoring System (CBMS).

“The city government, through the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), in coordination with the Provincial SWDO, is working to ensure the efficient and swift distribution of the rice assistance,” the PIO said. Release is slated for next week.

The rice assistance follows Joint Circular No. 1, series of 2026, issued by the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of the Interior and Local Government on Feb. 19, which provides guidelines on the release and utilization of funds for assistance to indigent individuals or families. (PNA)