ILOILO – The P20-per-kilo rice program — a signature campaign promise of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. — is now being prepared for rollout in Iloilo, one of the pilot provinces in the Visayas, as part of a national push to bring affordable rice to indigent Filipinos.
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. convened department heads under the Civil Defense Cluster on Thursday, April 24, to begin laying the groundwork for the program’s implementation in the province. The meeting was also attended by Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 executive director Dennis Arpia.
While there is no definite start date yet for the distribution, Defensor said an executive order will soon be issued to integrate the program into the existing initiatives of the Iloilo provincial government.
“This program is very young — we’re just starting. We don’t know yet when, how much, and who exactly will be eligible. But we want to make sure the government, especially local government units, can start selling affordable rice at P20 per kilo, just as the President promised,” Defensor said in an interview over XFM Iloilo 100.7.
Defensor clarified that the P20 rice will not be available to everyone. It will be targeted toward qualified recipients, as the supply and funding are limited. The provincial government is still finalizing modalities for the sale, procurement processes, and identification of beneficiaries.
He emphasized that funding will require a shared commitment between the national government through the DA and the National Food Authority (NFA), the provincial government, and local municipalities and cities.
“In Iloilo, we first need to organize the program. The NFA has rice stocks, the province can purchase, but we have to agree on the modalities, procurement steps, and beneficiary guidelines. Not all LGUs can sell to everyone — that’s certain,” Defensor added.
The DA is expected to issue additional guidelines on eligibility, volume limitations, and duration of the program.
According to DA-6 Information Officer James Earl Ogatis, concerned agencies are set to meet again to discuss further details of the sale.
The pilot launch of the P20 rice program was announced following a closed-door meeting between President Marcos and 12 Visayan governors, including Defensor, on April 23 at the Cebu Provincial Capitol. Other attendees included Cebu’s Gov. Gwen Garcia and the governors from Guimaras, Aklan, Northern Samar, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Biliran, and Samar.
In a social media post, President Marcos affirmed the program’s beginnings in the region, saying, “[Twenty] pesos kada kilo na bigas. Iyan ang pangako — at ngayon, sinisimulan na natin itong maisakatuparan sa Visayas region.”
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said indigent families will be eligible to buy up to 10 kilograms of rice per week, or a total of 40 kilograms per month, at the subsidized price. He noted that a nationwide implementation will follow once logistics challenges are addressed.
Tiu Laurel attributed the feasibility of the P20-per-kilo rice promise to falling global rice prices and confirmed that the NFA currently holds 358,000 metric tons of rice — good for over nine days — as the agency works toward achieving a 15-day national buffer stock./PN