The Department of Agriculture (DA), under the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is set to broaden the scope of the pilot run for the P20-per-kilo rice program, aiming to reach up to 14 million Filipinos by September.
Initially launched on May 1st in select Visayan areas, the initiative is now expanded to include regions in Luzon and Mindanao. The pilot, intended to collect critical data for efficiently operationalizing the program, is scheduled to run until December.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. announced in a Malacañang that the second phase of the pilot will target Mindanao provinces with a high poverty incidence.
“On top of the list for the second phase, which begins in July, is Zamboanga del Norte, with a poverty incidence of 37.7 percent. Also included are Basilan, Cotabato City, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Davao Oriental, Sorsogon, and Maguindanao del Norte,” the DA chief said.
The third phase, starting in September, will extend coverage to Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Catanduanes, Agusan del Sur, Sarangani, and Dinagat Islands.
The subsidized rice is sourced from the National Food Authority (NFA), whose current inventory is equivalent to around 8 million 50-kilo bags of milled rice. The expanded pilot test for the P20 rice will cover more than 3.3 million households, or 14 million Filipinos.
Secretary Tiu Laurel said he has directed the NFA to ensure the quality of rice to be distributed, especially to remote and island provinces.
Under the KADIWA ng Pangulo program, only members of vulnerable sectors—including indigents, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and solo parents—are eligible to buy NFA rice at P20 per kilo.
The rice sold in KADIWA centers is subsidized by the government through the Food Terminal Inc. For programs where local government units (LGUs) share the subsidy, it will be up to the LGUs to determine eligibility. The limit is 30 kilos per household.
The DA has also drawn up several options to sustain the program until the end of President Marcos’ term in June 2028, potentially covering up to 15 million households—or approximately 60 million Filipinos.
This expansion underscores the government’s commitment to making rice more affordable and accessible to all.
