By: Willamor A. Magbanua 

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Cotabato- Hundreds of residents here braved a long queue on Thursday to avail of the government’s cheap rice.

The people trooped to the National Food Authority (NFA) warehouse to get priority numbers starting at 4 a.m. But within an hour, the line of would-be beneficiaries had grown to about half a kilometer.

Those who got their priority numbers before daybreak waited for the NFA warehouse to open its doors at 7 a.m. to buy 10 kilos of rice at P20 per kilo.

According to NFA, they can only cater to up to 600 clients. Each person’s purchase is capped at 10 kilos.

The agency said they are only rolling out the program on Mondays and Thursdays./coa

Published Date: March 26, 2026