IN line with fulfilling the campaign promise, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., through Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said that the P20/K rice will be sold in the Visayas on May 1, 2025, Labor Day.
To sweeten the pot, select Kadiwa stores in Metro Manila will also have access to cheap rice starting May 2, 2025.
The move intends to make it available to as many Filipinos as possible, especially the indigents, senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities, who are allowed to purchase up to 30 kilos per month.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that the target mass rollout of the P20/k rice is on 2026.
The Food Terminal Inc. will manage the procurement of rice from the National Food Authority (NFA), while Local Government Units (LGUs) will deliver the commodity in their respective communities.
During pilot implementation, involved LGUs that share in the subsidy of the project can distribute the new rice option to all households in their municipality regardless of vulnerability status.
This program is expected to make NFA space in its warehouses available for rice that could be procured from local farmers during the summer harvests. The “Bente Bigas Mo” initiative was designed to help alleviate the financial burden faced by millions of Filipino households while granting fairness to rice farmers in reward for their harvests.
This P20/K rice initiative had been planned since June of last year and was again revisited after President Marcos directed the Department of Agriculture (DA) to expand the program across the country and secure its sustainability until the end of his term in 2028.
This comes at the heels of a government position to combat misinformation concerning the P20/kilo program. Malacañang has issued a stiff warning against fake news, particularly about a viral video purportedly showing poor-quality rice being sold under the program.
Malacañang Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro stated that “people should be cautious of fake news peddlers, who destroy the program, destroy the president, destroy the hopes, the aspirations of each Filipino.” She also added that criticisms were premature since the program has not even started selling.
Defending the Quality of Rice and the Implementation of the Program
The quality of rice earmarked for the P20-per-kilo program has, however, been called into question, especially after Vice President Sara Duterte was reported to have said that the rice in the program is only fit to feed pigs.
Agriculture Secretary Laurel defended the quality and safety of the rice in the strongest possible terms, saying that the DA cooks and eats NFA rice everyday.
Election Promises and Public Expectations
It is worth mentioning that the P20 per kilo rice promise is one of the main campaign promises of the President in the 2022 elections.
The successful implementation of this program can weigh heavily in food security and keep the pledges made by the administration during the elections.
Any failure or shortcoming in this initiative will have the potential to create disillusionment among the populace and deeply undermine the trust of the people in the government’s ability to fulfill its promises.
