In line with the Farmers’ and Fisherfolk’s Month celebration, the Department of Agriculture in Davao Region (DA-11) launched the “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” program at its regional office in Barangay Bago Oshiro, Tugbok District here Tuesday.
Each qualified buyer may purchase up to 10 kilos of rice at PHP20 per kilo, while supplies last.
Beneficiaries include minimum wage earners in the private sector and vulnerable groups like persons with disabilities, senior citizens, solo parents and indigents.
Norma Labisores, 71, expressed gratitude for the initiative.
“Thank you so much for this program. A lot of us benefited from it,” she told the Philippine News Agency.
For 68-year-old Norma Purol, who feeds seven grandchildren, the program is a welcome relief.
“The rice in the market is so expensive nowadays. I am just happy that we have this kind of program from the government,” she said, appealing to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to sustain the initiative.
The expansion aligns with President Marcos’ directive to widen the reach of food assistance under his administration’s pro-poor, pro-labor agenda.
The administration committed to sustain the PHP20 per kilo rice program until 2028. (PNA)