SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez lauded the inclusion of jeepney and tricycle drivers among the beneficiaries of the Department of Agriculture’s “Benteng Bigas Meron Na” (BBM Na) program, calling it a timely and welcome relief for workers in the transport sector amid successive fuel price hikes.
The Leyte 1st District lawmaker said expanding the program—which provides affordable rice to priority sectors—demonstrates President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s compassion and determination to deliver essential government services to those most in need.
“Our jeepney and tricycle drivers are affected by the consecutive increase in the price of petroleum products, so they often worry about how to fit their income for their families’ needs,” Romualdez said.
“With the help of the Department of Agriculture and the Kadiwa ng Pangulo, our drivers will be able to breathe easy and bring home cheap and high-quality rice for their loved ones,” he added.
During the launch of the P20-per-kilo rice program for fishermen at Navotas Fish Port on Friday, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., in coordination with Transportation Secretary Vivencio Dizon, announced that jeepney and tricycle drivers would be included as BBM Na beneficiaries.
“This is the public servant class under the Marcos administration—programs that our compatriots feel strongly about because they are carefully thought out and truly help to ease the lives of every Filipino,” Romualdez said.
The “BBM Na” program for the transport sector will be launched in five pilot areas across the country on September 16. Beneficiaries endorsed by the Department of Transportation will be entitled to purchase up to 10 kilos of rice per month through 212 Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets and accredited local government sites.
Currently, the lower-priced rice is available to rice farmers, fisherfolk, minimum wage earners, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, solo parents, and beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s 4Ps and Walang Gutom programs. The DA aims to eventually cover 15 million households—or around 60 million Filipinos—under the P20 rice initiative.
Romualdez stressed that including jeepney and tricycle drivers in the program is vital since they are “among the most vulnerable to the constant fluctuations in fuel prices.”
The House leader reiterated his earlier pledge to pursue measures that would institutionalize and make the BBM Na program a permanent government initiative. He also urged the DA to streamline the purchasing process to spare beneficiaries from long queues.
“As public servants, we must uphold the dignity of our countrymen by ensuring that government programs are easily accessible and consistently felt by the people they are meant to serve. By extending this program to jeepney and tricycle drivers, we also affirm their vital role as partners in driving our nation’s growth and prosperity,” he said.
Romualdez concluded: “This is the brand of governance under Bagong Pilipinas—an inclusive, proactive, and responsive government that listens to its people and works tirelessly to meet their most urgent needs.”
