By Liza Agoot

BAGUIO CITY – Some 33,810 indigent and vulnerable residents of Benguet province will receive rice assistance under the Bagong Pilipinas rice program, with the first tranche now being distributed, the provincial government said Friday.

Governor Melchor Diclas said each qualified beneficiary will receive 10 kilograms of rice in each of four tranches, with the provincial government targeting completion of all distributions by December.

The program is funded by the PHP71 million Local Government Support Fund-Financial Assistance to Local Government Units (LGSF-FALGU) from the Office of the President and implemented by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

The assistance targets low-income families and members of vulnerable and disadvantaged sectors, including solo parents, senior citizens living alone, persons with disabilities, marginalized farmers, and other qualified households identified through the Community-Based Monitoring System.

Diclas said the provincial allocation was released under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to ensure qualified beneficiaries who were not covered by similar assistance distributed through municipal and city governments would also receive aid.

“This aims to make sure that those who really need it will not be left behind,” Diclas said in a media interview.

Under a joint circular issued by the Department of Budget and Management and DILG, the same beneficiaries who received the first tranche will receive the succeeding three tranches.

Municipal social welfare and agriculture offices are helping identify qualified beneficiaries through a de-duplication process to prevent recipients from receiving assistance twice under the program.

“We want everyone to benefit from the assistance of the President to those families who are really in need of the aid,” Diclas said.

Meanwhile, the Provincial Agriculture Office is finalizing the list of farmers affected by successive weather disturbances who will receive cash assistance from the provincial government.

Diclas said the province opted to provide cash rather than farm commodities to give affected farmers flexibility in using the assistance, including for farm labor, bills, and household needs. (PNA)

Published Date: August 28, 2026