Public school teachers, staff can now buy rice at P20/kilo
The Department of Agriculture (DA) is extending the subsidized rice program to public school teachers and nonteaching personnel.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the agency would begin the rollout of the P20 per kilo rice project in public schools, especially those in remote areas, in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and local government units (LGUs).
“Areas with [public] schools that have nearby municipal or barangay halls, technically, fall under the LGU. In places without those, the DepEd (Department of Education) will probably prioritize them first; it depends on [Education] Secretary [Sonny] Angara,” Tiu Laurel said in an interview on Friday.
He said almost 800,000 teaching and nonteaching staff are seen to benefit from the subsidized rice program.
Rollout in provinces
The DA and the DepEd signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to formalize the program’s expansion during the Kadiwa ng Pangulo Expo held in Intramuros, Manila.
Under the MOU, the DepEd, not the DA, would handle the project implementation.
The program will be launched in other provinces to determine the agency’s readiness for nationwide implementation, possibly next year.
The rice project will also be implemented in Western Samar, Eastern Samar and Zamboanga del Norte.
Tiu Laurel said the subsidized rice sale covers the provinces of Batanes and Catanduanes, with the purchase limit set at 10 kilos a month.
He said the DA decided to sell rice to all 7,000 households in Batanes, regardless of their population classification, due to steep rice prices in the province, ranging from P60 to P70 a kilo.
In the case of Catanduanes, the secretary said the DA made a similar decision to include all households to help them recover from the recent typhoons.
Data from the DA covering May 1 to Nov. 24 showed there are 423 sites that sell rice at P20 a kilo to eligible beneficiaries.
The program has earned P177.95 million for selling 8,897.47 million metric tons of rice, benefiting 773,539 beneficiaries.
This week, the DA unveiled the P20 Benteng Bigas Masterlist registry system to streamline the initiative’s operation and monitor the purchases made by beneficiaries.
Tiu Laurel said the digital platform would allow the agency to ensure that beneficiaries benefit equally, given the state’s limited resources.
