The Department of Agriculture is set to launch the P20 Benteng Bigas Masterlist (PBBM) registry system, a digital platform aimed at streamlining the operation and improve oversight of the “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!”—the flagship food program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The registry system, developed by the DA-Information and Communications Technology Service, will be launched as part of the broader celebration of Rice Awareness Month.
“After testing conducted last month, we are now ready to deploy the P20 Registry System, which will ultimately serve approximately 15 million households– equivalent to about 60 million Filipinos–benefiting from the subsidized rice initiative,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. “This project is a clear example of how the DA can leverage technology to modernize Philippine agriculture and food security.”
Aside from consumers, the P20 rice program also helps provide a market for locally produced rice that are bought at fairer prices by the National Food Authority—the source of the rice sold to vulnerable sectors.
Since the launch of the P20 rice program in May, President Marcos has ordered the DA to expand its coverage beyond the initial scope, which covered senior citizens, solo parents, persons with disabilities, indigents, and indigenous people, and extend the program from 2025 to the end of his term in June 2028.
Beneficiaries now include minimum wage earners, rice farmers and fisherfolk, tricycle and jeepney drivers, and beneficiaries of the Walang Gutom program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“With this online system, we can now step up the expansion of the P20 rice program to include other sectors such as teachers, security guards, and other transport sector workers like bus drivers and delivery riders,” Secretary Tiu Laurel said.
DA-ICTS chief Honorio Flameño said the intended beneficiaries of the subsidized rice program can register at the designated P20 outlets. The beneficiaries need to bring valid identification cards for verification, a QR will be generated upon successful registration, which will then be used for purchasing P20 rice.
“The P20 Registry System link will be available for those who opt to register online by December 2025 on various online platforms such as eGov Portal, DA website, and DA FB Page, among others. This offers convenience to the target beneficiaries as they can already pre-register anytime, anywhere”, he said.
The P20 Benefinder is another module of the P20 Registry System that facilitates the verification of the target beneficiaries. Registered P20 beneficiaries can already use the P20 Benefinder (https://p20.da.gov.ph/) to generate their QR codes and have them ready before purchasing rice at the P20 outlets.
