BACOLOD City – Estefania Barangay Captain Jerry Tingson has denied receiving complaints from senior citizens regarding the alleged poor quality of rice distributed under the national government’s Bawat Bayang Makinabang program.
In a statement relayed by the Bacolod City Communications Office (BCCO) through its social media page, Tingson clarified that his office had not received any complaints from beneficiaries about the quality of the rice distributed in their barangay.
To support his statement, Tingson allowed a photograph to be taken of a sack of the rice being distributed and personally attested to its good quality.
His clarification came after a social media post circulated online alleging that some beneficiaries had complained about the quality of rice provided under the program.
The post also claimed that similar complaints had been raised in Barangays Mandalagan and Estefania.
However, Tingson disputed the allegations concerning Estefania, emphasizing that no complaints had been formally brought to his attention.
Meanwhile, the city government is distributing 10 kilograms of rice to each qualified senior citizen aged 65 and above.
Around 35,000 senior citizens in Bacolod are expected to benefit from the assistance, which is being distributed in four tranches.
The first tranche started in July 2026, while the fourth and final distribution is tentatively scheduled before the end of the year.
The program aims to provide rice assistance to elderly residents as part of the national government’s efforts to extend social support to vulnerable sectors./PN
