ILOILO City – The city government is stepping in to help keep rice prices within reach for poor families by earmarking P500,000 as its counterpart subsidy for the Marcos administration’s “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” (BBM) program, which aims to sell rice at P20 per kilo.
The allocation, included in the recently approved Supplemental Budget No. 2 worth P125.02 million, will shoulder P6.50 of the per-kilo subsidy so that qualified residents can access cheaper rice at the Kadiwa ng Pangulo Merkado Lokal outlet.
Mayor Raisa Treñas, in endorsing the move to Vice Mayor Julie Grace Baronda, said the initiative is crucial as it “seeks to alleviate the financial burden of the rising prices of rice on consumers.”
She added, “To accelerate the implementation of the rice program of the Office of the President, the Department of Agriculture, through Food Terminal Inc., shall collaborate with local government units in order to reach Filipino communities at a grassroots level.”
The city government is preparing to sign an agreement with Food Terminal Inc., pending formal authority from the Sangguniang Panlungsod, which deferred its action on the endorsement this week and is expected to revisit it next session.
Under the program, qualified beneficiaries may buy up to 10 kilos of rice per month at P20 per kilo./PN
