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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
April 29, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Rice priced at P20 per kilo can be bought in Cebu and Kadiwa outlets for vulnerable sectors starting May 2, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. announced yesterday.
In a radio interview, Tiu Laurel said he is set to personally lead the program’s official launch on Friday.
Covered under the P20 rice program at Kadiwa outlets in Metro Manila and nearby provinces are senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, indigents and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps.
The Department of Agriculture initially launched the rice program in July last year to provide affordable options for vulnerable sectors.
Tiu Laurel explained that the Visayas was chosen as the pilot area for the P20-per-kilo rollout due to the high poverty incidence in the region, based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.
“Poverty is high in Regions 7, 8, Negros Island region and some parts of Region 6. Of course, Iloilo was included as it will be the source of the supply,” he said.
He added that the National Food Authority in Mindoro will supply the rice for the Visayas rollout, noting that farmers are also eager to clear existing stocks so that the NFA can procure more palay during the harvest season.
Responding to concerns about quality, Tiu Laurel assured the public that the rice stocks are safe and fit for consumption.
“That was the stigma before, but now, we have a new system, new management and these are last year’s palay harvest and majority of the stocks were just milled so I am confident with the quality,” Tiu Laurel said.
He also addressed criticisms about the program’s timing, saying there was no reason to delay the rollout.
“We argued on this prior to the announcement but will we wait for three to four weeks before the release? The rice is ready and the people will benefit from this. Of course, the most important thing is, I need to move out the rice from warehouses as soon as possible,” Tiu Laurel said.
To prevent traders from exploiting the program, beneficiaries will be limited to purchasing a maximum of 40 kilos per month.
Tiu Laurel noted that Cebu’s software system will help local government units monitor monthly allocations per family, and the system is available for use by other LGUs.
He disclosed that President Marcos allocated P4.5 billion from his contingency fund to subsidize the project.
“Subsidy is normal. Indonesia is giving away rice, they are actually importing rice and Japan is also subsidizing rice. China is also subsidizing rice. This is not out of the blue,” he said.
Currently, the NFA has at least 370,000 metric tons of rice stocks to support the program.
“Basically the 370,000 tons rice stocks of the NFA were already procured, meaning the NFA already paid for the rice stocks,” he noted.
Tiu Laurel said he has until September to finalize the nationwide implementation plan and that a full-scale subsidy for all Filipinos is not feasible.
“President Marcos ordered me last week to study to implement the project nationwide. Of course, we cannot afford to feed the entire Filipinos with P20 per kilo. It is not feasible. The idea now is to allow 50 percent of our people to avail of the P20 rice with subsidy. I have until September to finalize and give the final recommendation to the President,” he said.
Meanwhile, as preparations for the program’s rollout in the Visayas progressed, Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. hailed the President for fulfilling his campaign promise to bring down the price of rice to P20 per kilogram.
He stressed the significant impact of the initiative on struggling Filipinos, saying, “The implementation of this P20 a kilo of rice is the promise of our President to provide affordable prices for our countrymen.” — Jun Elias
