By Arlie O. Calalo

FIRST lady Liza Araneta-Marcos led the first roll-out of her “Mula sa Puso para sa Pamilya” rice distribution program in Quezon City on Monday.

The first lady was accompanied by Mayor Joy Belmonte, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora — who heads the Metro Manila Council — and other top government officials when she distributed 10-kilogram bags of rice to over 1,200 beneficiaries in Barangay Doña Imelda.

Belmonte expressed gratitude to the first lady for her effort to extend the much-needed assistance to her constituents in times of the rising commodity costs triggered by the Middle East war.

She said more “QCitizens” would benefit from the rice distribution program as the first lady, who was inspired by a simple belief that “every Filipino family deserves food on the table,” was also set to visit Barangay Pagasa and Barangay Monica on Wednesday and Friday, for the program.

At her visit in Barangay Doña Imelda, the first lady mingled with the residents as she shared a message of solidarity, compassion and hope.

She cited the importance of helping families meet their daily food needs.

“I am here as a mother, because I know how essential it is to have food on our table. Even if this assistance is modest, I hope it goes a long way — for the few days that we are able to be of help to you,” the first lady told the beneficiaries in Filipino.

Belmonte said the rice distribution program is funded through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) in the amount of P462.9-million, which was released by the Office of the President to the city government.

The rice subsidy initiative also supports local farmers through direct procurement of rice, Belmonte told The Manila Times.

The city chief executive said the local government has used the Sagip Saka Act to source rice directly from farmer cooperatives, helping both consumers and agricultural producers.

The city government said that a total of 210,455 families, or about 25 percent of all families in the city are expected to benefit from the program.

Published Date: June 23, 2026