President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. assured the public that the government’s PHP20 per kilo rice program is not a temporary measure and will soon be available in more public markets nationwide.
In his latest vlog released Sunday, Marcos said the program, being rolled out through Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets for vulnerable sectors, is part of the administration’s efforts to provide affordable food and strengthen the agriculture sector through sustained collaboration between the national and local governments.
“P20 rice is here to stay. It is achievable, it is sustainable. Kaya abangan ninyo (So, watch out for it) in your nearest public markets,” Marcos said.
The initiative called “Benteng Bigas Meron na! (BBM)” was one of Marcos’ campaign promises, aimed at alleviating the burden of rising food prices.
The PHP20/kg rice is currently available to senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, indigent families, and minimum wage earners, with one million targeted beneficiaries by yearend.
As newly appointed national and local officials assumed office June 30, Marcos encouraged them to work together for service delivery.
“Tapos na po ang bahagi ng politika, serbisyo publiko na ang haharapin niyo ngayon (The political phase is over, now you are facing public service),” he said.
“Marami-rami tayong pagtutulungan sa lokal at national government at malaking bahagi ang LGU (local government unit) ng paghahatid natin ng serbisyo sa taumbayan (We have a lot to work on together between local and national government, and LGUs play a big role in delivering services to the people).”
Palay prices protected
Addressing concerns that the low rice prices may hurt farmers, Marcos reiterated that safeguards are in place to prevent the depression of palay (unhusked rice) prices.
He said the National Food Authority (NFA) is mandated to purchase wet palay at PHP18 per kilo and dry palay at PHP19 to PHP23 per kilo.
“Kahit ano pa ang maging presyo ng bigas, hindi po bababa dito ang pagbili ng NFA sa palay mula sa ating mga magsasaka (No matter the price of rice in the market, the NFA will not buy palay from our farmers below these rates),” he assured.
Marcos also cited the continued rollout of rice processing facilities and dryers across the country to empower farmers to store and process their harvest, instead of being forced to sell to traders at low prices.
Food security remains top priority
Marcos likewise reaffirmed his administration’s focus on building a resilient agricultural system to ensure food security, from farm production to processing, transport and retail.
On Wednesday, the President led the launch of the program at Zapote Public Market in Bacoor, Cavite.
It marks a major expansion of the PHP20 rice initiative, originally intended for pilot testing in the Visayas in May.
According to the Department of Agriculture’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service, the program has already reached over 105,000 families in Luzon and the Visayas, distributing more than 804,000 kilos of rice between May 13 and June 30.
To date, 94 outlet sites have been established across the country. (PNA)