DA launches P20 rice program in Pangasinan
LINGAYEN, PANGASINAN—The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday launched the government’s subsidized rice sale program “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” in this province.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who led the launch, said the department will deliver rice stocks to the provincial government, which will then distribute them to municipalities.
Pangasinan will be the first province where the initiative will be rolled out, in coordination with the provincial government.
According to Tiu Laurel, the rice will be sold through Kadiwa stores and Pangasinan was chosen as the pilot province based on several criteria, including its high poverty incidence, the damage it sustained from several typhoons last year, and the presence of large National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses with ample rice stocks.
Expansion
A memorandum of agreement for the program was signed between DA, NFA, the Food Terminal Inc. and the provincial government.
After Pangasinan, the program will be rolled out in other provinces on a weekly basis, Tiu Laurel said.
The DA said it is expanding the P20 per kilogram of rice program to Nueva Ecija, Bohol, Zamboanga City and Davao City before the end of this month. These are areas with high rice production or large consumer demand.
“The Benteng Bigas, Meron Na! is more than a slogan—it is the fulfillment of a campaign pledge and the realization of President Marcos’ vision that no Filipino should go hungry and that farmers deserve to fully enjoy the fruits of their hardwork,” he said.
The expansion is bankrolled by an estimated P14-billion budget this year, including around P4 billion in carryover funds from last year. This excludes the P9-billion allocation for the NFA’s palay procurement.
Through the program, the DA aims to reach about 15 million Filipino households, or roughly 60 million Filipinos, by end-2026. President Marcos has ordered the agency to implement the program until the end of his administration in June 2028
No rice under the program will be sold through commercial outlets, Tiu Laurel noted, stressing that the government does not want to disrupt the normal rice trade or adversely affect private traders.
The program aims to benefit around 177,000 families, or about 700,000 people, in Pangasinan. It targets vulnerable sectors, such as senior citizens, persons with disabilities, beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), and solo parents, who are entitled to up to 30 kilos of rice monthly. Each household, however, may purchase a maximum of 10 kilos per month. —WITH A REPORT FROM JORDEENE B. LAGARE
