The Department of Agriculture (DA) has begun the pilot rollout of the P20-per-kilo rice program in the Visayas, following a closed-door meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and 12 Visayas governors in Cebu.
According to DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the Visayas will serve as a testbed for implementation and logistics, with the goal of eventually expanding the program nationwide.
“We launched it here (Visayas) because mas marami ngang nangangailangan sa mga regions na ‘yun,” said Laurel. “But, of course, ang eventual intention nitong programang ito — once we sort out all the issues logistically and para makita talaga how to operate it and launch it and manage it — nationwide ito eventually.”
In the initial phase, households may receive up to 40 kilos of rice per month. The program will run until December, with possible extensions to February 2026 or 2028.
Laurel added that the initiative will also help decongest National Food Authority (NFA) warehouses, which are nearing capacity due to rising rice stocks—from 300,000 to 358,000 metric tons during the harvest season.
“Our President has given the directive to the Department of Agriculture to formulate this to be sustainable and tuloy-tuloy hanggang 2028,” the DA chief said.IMT
