Sacks of well-milled rice are unloaded during a ceremonial turn-over of NFA Rice by the Department of Agriculture to LGUs as part of the Food Security Emergency on Rice on February 19, 2025 at the NFA Warehouse in Valenzuela City. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News 

The Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it would launch a program that would offer rice at P20 per kilo to indigents in the Visayas next week.

The P20-per-kilo rice would be sold to indigents, including senior citizens, members of the 4Ps program, persons with disabilities and single parents. The program will be piloted in Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Eastern Visayas, which are most in need of the cheaper rice option, before it is implemented nationwide, said Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. 

“Bumaba na ang presyo ng world market at bumaba na ang presyo ng bigas in general,” he said.

Laurel was in Cebu with President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. for a series of meetings with the governors of the Visayas for the implementation of the program.

Agri dept weighs in on P20/kg rice aspiration as prices ease

“Eventually, the intention is to sort out the issues logistically para makita talaga how to operate it and manage it,” Laurel said.

He said there were discussions to limit the sale to 10 kilos of rice per week for every family. 

“The President has given the directive to formulate this to be sustainable na tuloy-tuloy na hanggang 2028,” the official said.

The agriculture department's rice stocks are stored in Iloilo and most of its warehouses are already full. The agency has some 378,000 tons of rice on hand.

The Department of Agriculture initially set aside P3.5 to P4.5 million for this program.  

VP SARA QUESTIONS PROGRAM

Vice President Sara Duterte questioned the administration’s plan to sell rice at P20 per kilogram in the Visayas, underscoring that Luzon and Mindanao were also in need of the staple grain.

“Mayroon akong pagdududda na magbebenta sila ng P20 per kilo na bigas pero hindi pang tao, pero pang hayop,” Duterte told reporters here.

“Hindi ko alam ano motibo nila, baka binubudol na naman nila mga tao sa P20 pero kilo na bigas. Magdududa ka kasi bakit Visayas lang? Hindi ba nagugutom mga taga-Luzon at mga taga-Mindanao?” the vice president asked.

During the 2022 campaign, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised to pull down the price of the staple grain to P20 pesos per kilo.

The announcement of the cheaper rice’s roll out comes about 3 weeks before the 2025 midterm elections, and a week after Marcos’s trust and approval ratings suffered a double-digit decline based on Pulse Asia’s survey.

“May meeting sa Cebu capitol karamihan ng mga governor sa Visayas. Baka may problema sila sa boto dito sa Visayas,” Duterte said when asked what she thought of the announcement’s timing.

“Kasi wala na sila magawa sa Mindanao. Kahit ano gawin nila hindi na kami boboto [sa kanila],” she said.

“Promise na naman yan sa mga tao na alam mo para lang sa eleksyon at para lang sa kanila mga senator para manalo yung kanilang Alyansang kuno dahil iniwan naman sila nung mga kasama nila,” she said.

Earlier this month, the President’s sister and re-electionist Sen. Imee Marcos bolted from his brother’s Alyansa Para Sa Bagong Pilipinas senatorial slate, while Rep. Camille Villar — who is also vying for a Senate seat — remained with the alliance but also sought the vice president’s endorsement.

ABS-CBN is trying to get Malacañang’s reaction on Duterte’s comments, but they have yet to respond.

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