The Department of Agriculture on Wednesday announced the pilot implementation of the P20-per-kilo rice program in the Visayas region, marking a key step in the fulfillment of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s campaign promise to lower rice prices for Filipino consumers.
The announcement came shortly after a closed-door meeting between President Marcos and 12 Visayas governors at the Cebu Provincial Capitol, where the initial rollout of the highly anticipated subsidy initiative was discussed.
“This is the beginning of a long-term commitment,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said at a press briefing following the meeting.
“The President has directed the Department of Agriculture to begin the implementation of the P20-per-kilo rice program, starting in the Visayas,” he added.
The program will be launched using two distribution models—providing either 5 or 10 kilos of rice per family per week.
Tiu Laurel said the consensus from the meeting leaned toward the 10-kilo model, which would amount to 40 kilos per household per month.
The pilot phase will run until December and may be extended to February 2026.
Mr. Marcos has instructed the DA to sustain the program through 2028, aiming for a full nationwide rollout once logistical and operational concerns are resolved.
“This has always been an aspiration of this administration,” Tiu Laurel said.
“Since taking office, the President has pushed us to find a way to make affordable rice a reality for every Filipino,” he added.
Still, Vice President Sara Duterte questioned the motives behind the initiative, suggesting it may be the administration’s way of winning over Visayan voters.
“Why only in the Visayas? Don’t people in Mindanao and Luzon get hungry as well? Why was there a meeting with most of the governors [in Visayas]? Maybe they have a problem getting votes,” she said in a televised interview.
The decision to begin in the Visayas was influenced by both high local demand and the availability of government rice stocks in the region, particularly in Iloilo, according to Tiu Laurel.
The DA chief cited current national rice inventory levels at 358,000 metric tons—significantly higher than previous months due to the ongoing harvest season.
He emphasized that part of the program’s goal is also to decongest the Department of Agriculture’s warehouses, which are currently at capacity.
The program is projected to cost the national government between P3.5 billion and P4.5 billion, depending on the distribution rate and household coverage.
Tiu Laurel called on local government units to support the rollout, stressing that success would depend on cooperation across all levels of government.
The initiative follows a period of volatility in global rice markets, which saw prices hit 15-year highs in 2023.
With market conditions easing, the agriculture chief said the government is now better positioned to subsidize rice distribution.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “DA to pilot P20 rice per kilo program in Visayas.”