The National Food Authority (NFA) began unloading 35,000 bags of well-milled rice in Cebu on Monday, marking a major step in the pilot rollout of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s P20-per-kilo rice program in the Visayas.
The shipment, sourced from NFA warehouses in Mindoro, is part of a larger delivery for Cebu’s “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” (BBM Na!) initiative, led by governor Gwendolyn Garcia, which has ordered 600,000 bags under the subsidized rice scheme.
NFA administrator Larry Lacson said the transfers, expected to be completed by June, will also help decongest NFA warehouses, allowing more local palay procurement. “This ensures continued support for our farmers while expanding access to affordable rice for the public,” Lacson said.
The program, jointly implemented by the Department of Agriculture through the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) and local government units, offers rice at only P20 per kilo by applying a P13 subsidy split between the FTI and participating LGUs. The rice is sourced from local farmers to support domestic agriculture.
Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, and Southern Leyte have collectively committed to ordering 673,000 50-kilo bags as part of the pilot, which will run through December 2025. Siquijor has ordered 40,000 bags, Southern Leyte 30,000, and Bohol 3,000.
President Marcos has allocated P4.5 billion from his contingency fund for the pilot, with instructions to continue the program through the end of his term in 2028. The initiative targets vulnerable groups such as senior citizens and low-income families.
Following the May 12 midterm elections, the program is also expanding in Luzon, with P20 rice available at 12 KADIWA ng Pangulo centers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces. The number of centers is set to grow to 32 by May 15.
As of April 30, the NFA held nearly 7.93 million bags of rice, enough for a 10-day national consumption buffer. The agency continues to purchase palay at P18 to P24 per kilo and is seeking to double its P9-billion budget to strengthen market presence and improve farmer earnings.
