Vice President Sara Duterte on Thursday said the rollout of P20 per kilogram rice in the Visayas comes “a little too late” and suspiciously close to the May elections.

“Hindi ‘yan pagiging mapagpuna… it’s a campaign promise, ‘yung 20 pesos na rice, at ngayon lang in-implement sa panahon ng eleksyon,” Duterte said.

She also questioned why the initiative was limited to the Visayas region when affordable rice is a nationwide need.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier announced that rice would be sold at P20 per kilo in Visayas, following instructions from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Agri dept to sell P20/kilo rice in Visayas

DA promises quality P20/kg rice; farmers say program is 'poll gimmick'

The DA, meanwhile, said that rice the government will sell in the Visayas at P20 per kilogram will be of good quality and not, as Duterte projects, fit only for animal feed.

“[T]he Department of Agriculture family is deeply hurt by her suggestion that NFA rice to be sold is 'hindi pang tao, pang hayop’ (not for people, but for animals),” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who also chairs the NFA Council, said in a statement.

He said the DA is “fully committed” to ensuring the quality of the rice sold under the program, which, he said, the NFA is mandated to buy from Filipino farmers.

“Saying the rice that NFA distributes is animal feed is an affront to the quality of rice our millions of hardworking farmers produce,” he also said.