Story by Kristina Maralit,Kaiser Jan Fuentes.

THE government will start selling rice for P20 per kilo on May 1 in Cebu, Malacañang said Monday.

On May 2, the program will be rolled out at the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI) Kadiwa Center along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City.

The P20/kg rice was one of the campaign promises of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The Visayas rollout was the result of the chief executive’s meeting with governors in the region recently.

Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said stocks will come from local farmers.

She said initial funds will come from the Office of the President.

“This can be sustained until this December. And for the next year, this may be included in the (national) budget,” she said.

The Palace official brushed off comments made by Vice President Sara Duterte that the selling of cheaper rice is a form of politicking.

“There is no timing in giving aid, in giving help to people in need, especially those who are at the bottom of society. Timing is not the question here. As soon as the government is able to provide the aid, it will be provided. There is no politics here, this is probably only being said to give a negative impact to what the president is doing to fulfill the P20 price of rice,” Castro asserted.

“We are disproving those who say in the news that rice to be sold has a bad smell. That is disinformation,” she added.

Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia defended the government’s P20 per kilo rice program, stressing that the initiative was designed to assist indigent families.

She slammed accusations that the program was a form of vote buying.

“Others would say it’s vote buying. It’s not. They are the ones buying, not us,” she said.

“Up to now, they keep asking, where is the P20 rice? Now that it’s here, they’re complaining again. Well, if you don’t want it, then don’t! But here it is,” she added.

“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. I’d rather be damned, I don’t care, for as long as the people of Cebu will get what they need right now.”

The program, carried out through Sugbo Merkadong Barato (SMB) outlets, initially targets around 300,000 beneficiaries, including barangay health and daycare workers, barangay tanod, public school teachers, government employees, farmers, and fisherfolk.

Each beneficiary may purchase up to 10 kilos of rice weekly. To meet the demand, the province will need 60,000 sacks per week, or about 240,000 sacks per month, with each sack containing 50 kilos.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the cheaper rice will be available in Kadiwa Centers and in areas designated by local government units.

In Kadiwa centers, rice from the P20 Rice Project would only be available to indigents, senior citizens, solo parents, and persons with disabilities. These beneficiaries will be allowed to purchase up to 30 kgs of rice per month.

However, for the pilot run, participating LGUs who share in the subsidy for the project may decide to make the rice available to all households in their constituency.

The DA has secured clearance from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to proceed with the sale of the P20/kg subsidized rice, exempting the project from the election ban.

WITH GISELLE P. JORDAN

Published Date: April 29, 2025