In celebration of the 68th birthday of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. today, the government is rolling out a special, one-day offering of P20 per kilo rice through his flagship food security initiative, “Benteng Bigas, Meron Na!” (BBM Na!), potentially benefitting more than 350,00 Filipinos.
Dubbed “Handog ng Pangulo”, the birthday edition of the program will make affordable rice available to all Filipinos—not just vulnerable sectors—across 100 KADIWA ng Pangulo sites nationwide.
All sites will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and buyers need only to present a valid ID to avail of the subsidized rice.
“On Saturday, the P20 per kilo rice will be available to everyone in select KADIWA sites in a number of cities and provinces. This is President Marcos’ birthday gift to the Filipino people,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr.
The DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) and Food Terminal Inc. projected that Saturday’s event could reach around 88,000 households, equivalent to about 352,000 Filipinos. Beyond celebration, the event will also act as a logistical test for a much larger national rollout.
President Marcos has ordered the Department of Agriculture to expand the ‘BBM Na!’ program to reach 15 million households—or roughly 60 million Filipinos—by 2025, with a commitment to sustain it through 2028.
The program’s reach has steadily grown. Initially targeted at solo parents, seniors, persons with disabilities, and indigents, it now includes minimum wage earners, farmers, and fisherfolk. Starting next week, it will extend to public transport workers, DepEd teaching and non-teaching staff, and beneficiaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s Walang Gutom program.
To mark the occasion, DA officials will also distribute assistance, including machinery and inputs, to farmers and fisherfolk across several regions. Secretary Tiu Laurel will personally oversee activities in Koronadal, South Cotabato, continuing the administration’s push for accessible, affordable food for all and modernize Philippine agriculture.
