BACOLOD City – The provincial government of Negros Occidental has rescheduled the launch of its P20 per kilo rice program to June 24, after the pilot municipality of Pulupandan failed to implement the program as initially scheduled last week.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Pulupandan was not yet prepared to carry out the rollout, prompting the provincial government to move the launch to a later date.
A total of P7 million has been allocated by the provincial government for the purchase of rice from the National Food Authority (NFA). The rice supply is locally sourced from farmers in Bago City and Pulupandan, who are members of the Federation of Irrigators’ Association of Central Negros–Bago River Irrigation System (FIACN-BRIS).
For the initial rollout, the province will distribute 50 bags of rice to qualified beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City has already launched its own P20 per kilo rice program.
The City Cooperative and Livelihood Development Office (CCLDO) is in charge of implementing the program in Bacolod’s barangays, with P7.7 million allotted for the procurement of rice, which is likewise supplied by local farmers from Bago City and Valladolid.
Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. graced the Bacolod launching on June 5, where he emphasized that there are no restrictions on who can avail of the P20 rice, leaving the implementation guidelines to the discretion of the local government units (LGUs).
Laurel Jr. said the shared subsidy program will run until December this year, while the national rollout of the P20 per kilo rice program will begin on January 1, 2026 and continue until June 30, 2028, targeting 15 million households.
The Food Terminal Inc. serves as the implementing arm of the DA for the sale of rice to LGUs. It will purchase rice from the NFA at P33 per kilo and sell it to LGUs at a subsidized rate of P26.50 per kilo./PN
