The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Agriculture (DA) on Monday rolled out the “Benteng Bigas, Meron na sa WGP” to make the PHP20 per kg. rice available to more than 300,000 Walang Gutom Program (WGP) beneficiaries.
DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian and Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra of the DA’s Agribusiness, Marketing, and Consumer Affairs, and Legislative Affairs led the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU), which coincided with the WGP beneficiaries’ Redemption Day at Barangay 69 in Tondo, Manila.
Gatchalian said the pact concretizes the joint effort of the DSWD and the DA to fulfill President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure that the country’s most vulnerable sectors — especially food-poor households — have access to affordable staple food.
“Kung matatandaan ninyo, ang instruction ng ating Pangulo ay siguraduhin na yung pinaka-vulnerable na sektor ng ating mamamayan ay makikinabang sa PHP20 na bigas. Kung mayroon tayong tinatawag na food poor — yung pinakamahihirap — sila yung mga benepisyaryo ng WGP. Ito ay patunay na ang food security ay number one sa listahan ng ating Pangulo (The instruction of our President is to ensure that the most vulnerable sector of society should benefit from the PHP20/kilo rice. The food poor – the poorest of the poor – are the beneficiaries of the WGP. This shows that food security is the top priority of President Marcos),” he told some 100 WGP beneficiaries in Tondo, Manila.
Under the WGP, each household beneficiary receives PHP3,000 worth of monthly food credits via electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards, which they can use to purchase healthy food items from accredited retailers.
Fifty percent of the food credit is used to purchase carbohydrates such as rice, sweet potato, among others, while 30 percent is intended for protein food items and 20 percent on fibers such as fruits and vegetables.
Gatchalian said the rice available at the WGP-accredited retailers before the rollout of the PHP20 per kg. rice was priced at more than PHP50 per kg.
“Natutuwa kami kasi excited sila na mas marami silang maiiuwi na pagkain gamit ang kanilang existing PHP3,000 food credits. Lagpas nang doble halos yung halaga ng carbohydrates na maiuuwi nila (we are happy because the beneficiaries are excited for being able to bring home more food with their food credits. They can now bring home more than double the carbohydrates they used to buy),” the DSWD chief said.
The “Benteng Bigas Meron Na!” pilot rollout for WGP beneficiaries in Tondo is also replicated in Cebu province and the Caraga region, with plans to expand it nationwide as the supply chain stabilizes.
The PHP20/kg. rice will be made available through DA-accredited suppliers and retailers, including Kadiwa outlets, that will participate in WGP food redemption days.
To support the smooth implementation of the “Benteng Bigas” program, all WGP-accredited retailers are equipped with point-of-sale (POS) devices linked to the EBT system. Kiosks will also be installed at redemption sites to ensure clarity and transparency in each transaction.
The DSWD is planning to procure over 4,700 kiosk units for distribution to all barangay sites.
The WGP beneficiaries were very grateful to President Marcos for being provided with affordable rice.
Shierly Castillo, one of the WGP beneficiaries who was able to purchase the PHP20 per kg. rice and other food items for her family, said the subsidized rice will greatly ease their daily struggle to put food on the table.
“Nagpapasalamat po ako kay Presidente (Marcos) dahil nabigyan po kami ng pagkakataon na makabili ng murang bigas para makaraos kami sa araw-araw. Malaking tulong po ito sa amin lalo na at wala kaming hanapbuhay. Mangangalakal lang po ako, kaya malaking bagay po sa amin ito (Thank you President Marcos because we were given the opportunity to buy cheap rice for us to get by daily. This is a great help to us, especially since we have no stable jobs. I am just a scavenger, that’s why this is a big thing for us),” Castillo said.
Another WGP beneficiary, Alfredo Morales, echoed the same sentiment.
“Malaking karagdagan at kaluwagan sa mga Pilipino ito. Yung mga mahihirap na katulad namin, makakabili na kami [ng murang bigas], kaya na namin. Kay President Marcos at Secretary Gatchalian, maraming salamat (This is a big relief for Filipinos. Poor people like us can now buy cheap rice. Thank you very much President Marcos and Secretary Gatchalian).”
Launched in 2023 and institutionalized in 2024 under Executive Order (EO) 44, the WGP is the flagship anti-hunger program of the Philippine government, aligned with the Marcos administration’s goal of addressing food insecurity in the country.
It currently serves 300,000 low-income households and aims to reach 750,000 beneficiaries before Marcos’ term ends in 2028. (PNA)