LAOAG CITY - A total of 2,218 rice farmers here each received a PHP5,000 cash aid on Thursday to boost their competitiveness amid a looming food crisis. The distribution of financial assistance is part of the Department of Agriculture's continuing efforts to help eligible farmer-beneficiaries to cope with the surging prices of fuel and agricultural inputs, among others, through the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance Program under Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Tariffication Law. As he affixed his electronic signature to an online database of farmer-beneficiaries at the Laoag central terminal, Ernesto Bacud from Barangay Balacad said he was thankful that the government shares the plight of farmers in these difficult times. "Thank you to our local officials and the government. This helps a lot," he said. With a barely 5,000-square-meter rice farm, Bacud said his harvest could hardly support his growing family as the price of palay continued to drop. In his speech, Ilocos Nor