Malacañang and its allies in Congress are not taking lightly attempts to cast aspersions on the sincerity and timing of the Marcos administration’s P20-per-kilo rice program, which will be piloted across Western, Central, and Eastern Visayas next week.
In a press briefing yesterday, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro rejected Vice President Sara Duterte’s claim that the program is a mere ploy or “budol” to boost the administration’s senatorial slate.
“They have long been saying that the President seems unable to handle this aspiration. But now that it is gradually being fulfilled, why is there a need to be negative?” Castro asked.
“This has always been President [Ferdinand] Marcos’ goal — to deliver affordable rice to the people,” she added.
On Wednesday, the Vice President 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,” Duterte said in a televised interview.
In response, the Palace spokesperson said that leaders should refrain from divisive rhetoric and instead unite behind programs that benefit the public.
“A true leader should support their fellow Filipinos, especially the leader of the country,” Castro said.
“Let’s not let crab mentality prevail and let’s not be termites in society,” she added.
The program’s initial implementation in the Visayas region, another point raised by Duterte, was based on logistical readiness and regional cooperation, Castro pointed out.
The National Food Authority (NFA) reportedly holds sufficient rice stocks in the area, and local officials, including Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, have shown willingness to coordinate.
“Visayas was chosen because of its readiness and the cooperation of local leaders,” she said.
“Let’s not hinder this initiative. The rice is not substandard — it is the same rice currently being sold at P33 per kilo,” Castro added.
She rebuked the insinuations that the rice was of low quality, which she said disrespects local farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. also expressed disappointment over Duterte’s remarks questioning the quality of rice from the National Food Authority (NFA), which will be sold at P20 per kilo.
“With all due respect to the Vice President, the Department of Agriculture (DA) family is deeply hurt by her statement suggesting that NFA rice is ‘not fit for human consumption, only for animals,’” said Tiu Laurel, who also chairs the NFA Council.
He emphasized the DA’s commitment to maintaining the quality and safety of rice distributed under the program, a government initiative that includes the Vice President herself.
“The rice distribution program is a vital part of fulfilling President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 2022 campaign promise—to ease the financial burden on Filipino families, particularly those from the most vulnerable sectors,” he said.
“We are fully committed to delivering high-quality rice to our people. At the DA, we cook and eat NFA rice daily—we stand by its quality and safety,” he added.
Under current law, the NFA is required to source rice solely from local farmers, thereby supporting the country’s agriculture sector.
“To call this rice ‘animal feed’ is an insult to the millions of hardworking Filipino farmers who produce it. That claim is simply untrue,” he said, adding that the DA is proud of the rice local farmers grow.
Tiu Laurel called on Duterte to set aside political differences and work collaboratively with the DA to address the daily challenges of ordinary Filipinos.
For his part, House Speaker Martin Romualdez said the P20-per-kilo rice program’s pilot implementation in the Visayas region proves the Marcos administration can “turn aspiration into action.”
“This is only the beginning. The days of high rice prices will become a distant memory. Through this whole-of-government effort, we will soon implement this across the nation” he said in a mixture of Filipino and English.
Romualdez explained that retail prices of rice, which peaked at over P60 per kilo last year, have sufficiently declined to allow selling the staple at P20 per kilo economically viable.
The Speaker also praised Visayas LGUs for sharing the subsidy cost with the national government, calling the arrangement an embodiment of “bayanihan economics.”
Romualdez said the Visayas launch, capped at 10 kilos per week for each household until logistical kinks are ironed out, will enable the DA to assess warehousing capacity, inter-island shipping routes, and Kadiwa retail points to address issues before a nationwide rollout.