AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said the rollout of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” program to jeepney and tricycle drivers, along with other public transport workers, underscores a more aggressive expansion of the flagship food security initiative of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — with public school teachers and non-teaching personnel next in line.
“A lot of Filipinos across the country are waiting for ‘Benteng Bigas.’ This is a step forward,” Tiu Laurel said after leading the program’s launch in Quezon City last week. “Our transport workers are organized, they are many, and they are among the most financially challenged — yet they form one of the backbones of our economy.”
The P20 rollout also kicked off in Navotas City, Cebu City, Tagum City, and Angeles City, Pampanga initially covering 57,000 beneficiaries. That number is expected to rise steadily, depending on data from the Department of Transportation, the Department of Agriculture (DA) chief said.
“Every week, we will expand to new areas and groups, so that by 2026, we’re fully ready,” he added, citing the target to reach 15 million households — equivalent to around 60 million Filipinos – by the end of next year and to sustain it through June 2028, the end of the six-year term of President Marcos.
Tiu Laurel said the National Food Authority (NFA) has enough inventory to support the program, which also aims to guarantee fair farm gate prices for local palay producers.
By October, the DA targets to sell 1,000 tons of rice daily under the P20 program, rising to 2,000 tons in November, and 3,000 tons by December. At 10 kilos per household per month and selling schedule at KADIWA ng Pangulo usually held three times a week, the subsidized rice program could reach by December a total 3.6 million households.
The Marcos administration has allocated an additional P10 billion in the 2026 budget to sustain the program’s expansion./PN
